Quantification of the impact of cooking processes on indoor concentrations of volatile organic species and primary and secondary organic aerosols.

Abstract

Cooking is recognized as an important source of particulate pollution in indoor and outdoor environments. We conducted more than 100 individual experiments to characterize the particulate and non‐methane organic gas emissions from various cooking processes, their reaction rates, and their secondary organic aerosol yields. We used this emission data to develop a box model, for simulating the cooking emission concentrations in a typical European home and the indoor gas‐phase reactions leading to secondary organic aerosol production. Our results suggest that about half of the indoor primary organic aerosol emission rates can be explained by cooking. Emission rates of larger and unsaturated aldehydes likely are dominated by cooking while the emission rates of terpenes are negligible. We found that cooking dominates the particulate and gas‐phase air pollution in non‐smoking European households exceeding 1000 μg m−3. While frying processes are the main driver of aldehyde emissions, terpenes are mostly emitted due to the use of condiments. The secondary aerosol production is negligible with around 2 μg m−3. Our results further show that ambient cooking organic aerosol concentrations can only be explained by super‐polluters like restaurants. The model offers a comprehensive framework for identifying the main parameters controlling indoor gas‐ and particle‐phase concentrations.