An innovative and simple method based
on dilution, named as the
dilution chamber (DC), allowing the measurement of solid and condensable
fractions of particulate matter emitted by residential wood combustion
appliances has been developed, and its performances have been evaluated.
The DC method was then tested by five European institutes (Ineris,
ISSI/ENEA, DTI, and RISE) on advanced residential wood log/pellet
stoves, under nominal output and low output combustion conditions
and using different fuel types. The aim of the study was to evaluate
the capability of the DC method to collect the condensable fraction.
The DC method was compared with another manual method used to collect
the solid and condensable fractions at the same time, the dilution
tunnel (DT), on four sampling platforms. A third method, a combining
heated filter and impinger filled in with isopropanol collection (SPC-IPA),
was also used by Ineris only for comparison with the DC method. PM
measurements based on the DC method globally showed a linear correlation
with PM measurements based on DT (R
2 ranged
between 0.81 and 0.99, p < 0.05) specifically
for the residential wood stoves under low output conditions when the
condensable fraction contributes the most. An analysis and quantification
of PAHs related to the total mass of PM of samples taken by the DC
method and performed by ENEA/ISSI showed that it produces a condensation
effect of semivolatile species comparable or even greater than the
DT method. PM emission factors calculated from PM measurements based
on the DC method were (i) about 2- to 20-fold higher for the residential
wood stoves (EF ranged between 201 to 2420 g GJ–1) compared to those obtained for the residential pellet stoves (EF
ranged between 108 to 556 g GJ–1) and (ii) of the
same magnitude of PM emission factors from the literature or the EMEP/EEA
air pollutant emission inventory guidebook.
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