The differences in the pollutant emissions from the combustion of bituminous coal and biofuels (wood, straw, and miscanthus pellets) under real-world boiler operating conditions were investigated. The experiments were performed on an experimental installation that comprised an 18 kW boiler, used in domestic central heating systems, equipped with a retort furnace, an automatic fuel feeder, a combustion air fan, and a fuel storage bin. The emission factors of gaseous pollutants, particulate matter, organic carbon, elemental carbon, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), as well as some PAH concentration ratios for coal and biofuel combustion, were determined. The obtained results indicate that fuel properties have a strong influence on the emission factors of gaseous and carbonaceous pollutants. The total particulate matter (PM) emissions from the biofuel combustion were about 5-fold lower than those from the coal burned in the same boiler. The emission factors of the total carbons from the biofuel combustion were between 10 and 20 times lower than those from the coal combustion. The mean organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) emission factors, based on the burned fuel, were 161–232 and 42–221 mg/kg for the biofuels and 1264 and 3410 g/kg for the coal, respectively. The obtained results indicate that molecular diagnostic ratios, based on the concentration of PAHs, vary significantly, depending on the fuel type.
Abstract:The aim of this research was to assess the content and composition of the pollutants emitted by domestic central heating boilers equipped with an automatic underfeed fuel delivery system for the combustion chamber. The comparative research was conducted. It concerned fuel properties, fl ue gas parameters, contents of dust (fl y ash) and gaseous substances polluting the air in the fl ue gases emitted from a domestic CH boiler burning bituminous coal, pellets from coniferous wood, cereal straw, miscanthus, and sunfl ower husks, coniferous tree bark, and oats and barley grain. The emission factors for dust and gaseous air pollutants were established as they are helpful to assess the contribution of such boilers in the atmospheric air pollution. When assessing the researched boiler, it was found out that despite the development in design and construction, fl ue gases contained fl y ash with a signifi cant EC content, which affected the air quality.
Despite significant emission control steps in recent decades, damage to air quality caused byparticulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 m or less is now a major concern on a global scale.Condensable particulate matters (CPM) due to their significant contribution to the totalconcentration of particulate matter and their small aerodynamic size (below 2.5 m) are now ofwidespread interest. CPMs produced in low-power solid fuel heating systems can be one of themain components of the total mass of fine particles present in the air we breathe. The operatingconditions of large power installations and small heating boilers differ significantly, therefore itis necessary to adapt the research methods adapted to industrial installations, to the low-powerboilers. In the tests, three fuels were combusted in two low-power boilers (18 kW boiler witha suction feeder and 5class 14 kW boiler with a screw feeder): bituminous coal, pine and sprucewood pellets and cereal straw pellets. An EPA 202 method was used to collect the CPM. Qualitativeand quantitative analyses of inorganic and organic CPM components were performed. Analysesof the inorganic part of the CPM included the determination of metals m.in Na, Ca, Fe, Mg, Al,K, and water-soluble ions, m.in SO42, Na+, K+ and Cl, while analyses of the organic part of theCPM comprised the determination of PAHs. Differences were observed in the amount of CPMgenerated depending on the fuel used and the type of low-power boiler used. CPM emissions arerelatively high and constitute a large part of total particulate matter, so the impact of CPM on theenvironment cannot be ignored and we should pay special attention to its research and control,especially from small solid fuel heating boilers.
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