In-use emissions from biomass and LPG stoves measured during a large, multi-year cookstove intervention study in rural India

Abstract

We conducted an emission measurement campaign as a part of a multiyear cookstove intervention trial in two rural locations in northern and southern India. 253 uncontrolled cooking tests measured emissions in control and intervention households during three ~3-month-long measurement periods in each location. We measured pollutants including fine particulate matter (PM2.5), organic and elemental carbon (OC, EC), black carbon (BC) and carbon monoxide (CO) from stoves ranging from traditional solid fuel (TSF) to improved biomass stoves (rocket, gasifier) to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) models. TSF stoves showed substantial variability in pollutant emission factors (EFs; g kg−1 wood) and optical properties across measurement periods. Multilinear regression modeling found that measurement period, fuel properties, relative humidity, and cooking duration are significant predictors of TSF EFs. A rocket stove showed moderate reductions relative to TSF. LPG stoves had the lowest pollutant EFs, with mean PM2.5 and CO EFs (g MJdelivered−1) >90% lower than biomass stoves. However, in-home EFs of LPG were substantially higher than lab EFs, likely influenced by non-ideal combustion performance, emissions from food and possible influence from other combustion sources. In-home emission measurements may depict the actual exposure benefits associated with dissemination of LPG stoves in real world interventions.