Cookstoves emit many pollutants that are harmful to human health and the environment. However, most of the existing scientific literature focuses on fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and carbon monoxide (CO). We present an extensive data set of speciated air pollution emissions from wood, charcoal, kerosene, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cookstoves. One-hundred and twenty gas- and particle-phase constituentsincluding organic carbon, elemental carbon (EC), ultrafine particles (10–100 nm), inorganic ions, carbohydrates, and volatile/semivolatile organic compounds (e.g., alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, aromatics, carbonyls, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs))were measured in the exhaust from 26 stove/fuel combinations. We find that improved biomass stoves tend to reduce PM2.5 emissions; however, certain design features (e.g., insulation or a fan) tend to increase relative levels of other coemitted pollutants (e.g., EC ultrafine particles, carbonyls, or PAHs, depending on stove type). In contrast, the pressurized kerosene and LPG stoves reduced all pollutants relative to a traditional three-stone fire (≥93% and ≥79%, respectively). Finally, we find that PM2.5 and CO are not strong predictors of coemitted pollutants, which is problematic because these pollutants may not be indicators of other cookstove smoke constituents (such as formaldehyde and acetaldehyde) that may be emitted at concentrations that are harmful to human health.
Air pollution from cookstoves creates a substantial human and environmental health burden. A disproportionate fraction of emissions can occur during stove ignition (startup) compared to main cooking, yet startup material emissions are poorly quantified. Laboratory tests were conducted to measure emissions from startups using kerosene, plastic bags, newspaper, fabric, food packaging, rubber tire tubes, kindling, footwear, and wood shims. Measured pollutants included: fine particulate matter mass (PM), PM elemental and organic carbon, methane, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, benzene, and formaldehyde. Results demonstrate substantial variability in the measured emissions across materials on a per-startup basis. For example, kerosene emitted 496 mg PM and 999 mg CO per startup, whereas plastic bags emitted 2 mg PM and 30 mg CO. When considering emissions on a per-mass basis, the ordering of materials from highest-to-lowest emissions changes, emphasizing the importance of establishing how much material is needed to start a stove. The proportional contribution of startups to overall emissions varies depending on startup material type, stove type, and cooking event length; however, results demonstrate that startup materials can contribute substantially to a cookstove's emissions. Startup material choice is especially important for cleaner stove-fuel combinations where the marginal benefits of reduced emissions are potentially greater.
CO). Tests were performed within a total-capture encapsulating hood; a constant volume of filtered air (4 m 3 /min) was drawn through the hood to achieve natural dilution and allow emissions to reach typical indoor concentrations. Emissions were then drawn through isokinetic sampling probes to size-selective filter samplers, whole air sample collection canisters, or real-time instruments (as appropriate for each specific pollutant). Flow rates were measured at the sampling probe sites before and after each test to track partial capture proportions and system dilution ratios and ensure isokinetic sampling.Integrated filter-based collection methods were used to measure particulate matter mass with diameters less than 2.5μm (PM 2.5 ), elemental carbon (EC), and organic carbon (OC). Integrated cartridge-based collection was used for gas-phase carbonyls (e.g., formaldehyde, acetaldehyde). Integrated canisters were used to collect an air sample for the volatile organic compounds benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX). Carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), and methane (CH 4 ) were measured at 1 Hz temporal resolution (Siemens Ultramat 6E, Siemens AG, Germany). PM 2.5 was collected on polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane filters (Tisch Environmental, USA) placed downstream of 2.5 μm aerodynamic size cut-point cyclones. Filter mass was measured gravimetrically using a microbalance (Mettler Toledo MX5, USA) after filters had equilibrated to consistent temperature/humidity (filters were pre-weighed after a minimum of 24 hours of equilibration and used within two weeks of pre-weight date; filters were placed into the weight room for equilibration within 6 hours of collection and post-weighted within 24 to 36 hours of collection).Elemental and organic carbon were collected on pre-baked quarts filters (Tissuequartz, Pall Life Sciences, USA) downstream of 2.5-μm cut-point cyclone and analyzed using a Sunset Laboratory ECOC Analyzer following the NIOSH 5040 method. To correct for the semi-volatile organic carbon artifact, a quartz filter sampled behind a PTFE filter as well as a stand-alone quartz filter were collected 1, 2 . The carbon measured on the quartz behind PTFE filter was subtracted from the stand alone quartz filter to provide the final OC concentrations.
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