A Preliminary Study of Particulate Emissions from Small Wood Stoves

Abstract

Residential space heating in the northern New England states is largely obtained from the use of No. 2 fuel oil at the present time. The increasing cost of No. 2 oil coupled with the general availability of wood in this area has led many people to augment their oil heating systems with small wood stoves. A study of particulate emission factors was made on two types of stoves: a Model 602 Jotul and a Model 2 Franklin. Three types of wood were used: eastern white pine (Pinus strobus); red oak (Quercus rubra); and white birch (Betula papyrifera). The factors are then combined with simple models for fuel use and area source dispersion to obtain estimates for ambient levels of particulate matter under conditions of high heating demands. The dependence of the emission factor on draft setting shows an increase in the emission factor as the available air is reduced. It is likely that many people operate stoves with smaller draft settings than have been used in these studies and that emission factors of stoves in actual use will be greater. The numbers presented suggest that emission factors for wood stoves are large enough to lead to an air pollution problemmore » in communities where wood may carry a substantial fraction of the space heating load. Much more research on the relationship between emission factor, stove design and operating mode, and wood type needs to be performed.« less