AAAR 36th Annual Conference October 16 - October 20, 2017 Raleigh Convention Center Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
Abstract View
A Laboratory Assessment of PM2.5 and CO as Markers of Cookstove Air Pollution Composition
KELSEY BILSBACK, Nicholas Good, Kristen Fedak, Jordyn Dahlke, Ethan Walker, Lizette Van Zyl, Christian L'Orange, Jennifer Peel, John Volckens, Colorado State University
Abstract Number: 394 Working Group: Combustion
Abstract Exposure to air pollution from biomass cookstoves is estimated to lead to 3.5 million premature deaths annually. Cookstove emit a highly variable mixture of pollutants. Human exposure to some of these pollutants has been associated with health impacts; however, most epidemiological studies only measure particulate matter (PM2.5) and carbon monoxide (CO) as markers of exposure. The aim of our study was to (1) develop a comprehensive inventory of air pollution emitted from cookstoves from traditional to cleanest-available stove technologies and (2) assess whether PM2.5 and CO are markers of other health-relevant emissions. Over 100 gas- and particle-phase pollutants from thirty stove-fuel combinations were measured in the laboratory. Measurements included: PM2.5, CO, elemental carbon (EC), organic carbon (OC), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) [including BTEX], carbonyls, ultrafine particles, ions, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Reductions in PM2.5 were not always linked with reductions in carcinogenic compounds. The wick-kerosene stove reduced PM2.5 emissions by 80% compared to a three-stone-fire, but had the highest average emissions of several carcinogenic pollutants (benzene: 107.5 mg/MJ, formaldehyde: 34.6 mg/MJ, acetaldehyde: 12.6 mg/MJ). Yet, the gasifier stove reduced PM2.5 by 65% while reducing total BTEX emissions by >90%. Spearman’s correlation coefficients (ρ) were used to assess the relationship between PM2.5 and CO and other pollutants. Generally, PM2.5 had a weak association with carcinogenic compounds for liquid-fuel stoves; however, CO demonstrated a strong positive correlation between acetaldehyde (ρ=0.95), formaldehyde (ρ=0.95), and benzene (ρ=0.9). The correlation between CO and VOCs was weaker for wood stoves (acetaldehyde: ρ=-0.03, formaldehyde: ρ=-0.11, benzene: ρ=0.37). Many health-relevant compounds are poorly correlated PM2.5 and CO, demonstrating that reducing PM2.5 and CO emissions do not guarantee reductions in other harmful pollutants.