Home Heating Fuels Research Articles

Low-cost measurement techniques to characterize the influence of home heating fuel on carbon monoxide in Navajo homes

A large fraction of the global population relies on the inefficient combustion of solid fuels for cooking and home heating, resulting in household exposure to combustion byproducts. In the southwestern United States, unhealthy air quality has been observed in some homes that use solid fuels as a primary source of heat on the Navajo Nation. In order to better understand how home heating fuel choice can influence indoor air quality in this region, we used recently developed low-cost electrochemical sensors to measure carbon monoxide (CO) air mole fractions continuously inside and outside 41 homes in two communities on the Navajo Nation. Using low-cost sensors in this study, which don't require extensive training to operate, enabled collaboration with local Diné College students and faculty in the planning and implementation of home deployments. Households used natural gas, propane, pellets, wood, and/or coal for heating. We developed quantification methods that included uncertainty estimation for Alphasense CO-B4 sensors, for measurements both inside and outside homes. CO concentrations elevated above background were observed in homes in each heating fuel group, but the highest hourly concentrations were observed in wood and coal burning homes, some of which exceeded World Health Organization Guidelines on both an hourly and eight-hourly basis. In order to probe the many factors that can influence indoor pollutant concentrations, we developed and implemented methods that employ CO emission and decay time periods observed in homes during everyday activities to estimate air exchange rates as well as CO emission rates on the basis of a given well-mixed volume of air. The air quality measurement tools and methods demonstrated in this study can be readily extended to indoor air quality studies in other communities around the world to inform how home heating and cooking practices are influencing indoor air quality during normal daily activities.

Evaluating the greenhouse gas reduction benefits of compact housing development

Regional land use and transportation planning influences energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in a number of ways, such as through its effect on vehicle miles travelled and the extension of municipal infrastructure to serve newly developed areas. Planning regulations also help to shape the density and form of residential development, which creates opportunities for energy savings, as more compact housing types (attached homes and apartments) use less energy, on average, than single-family detached units. This study uses micro-data from the US Department of Energy's Residential Energy Consumption survey to estimate future residential energy use for space heating and cooling in Virginia's 10 Census-designated metropolitan regions. It then calculates the effect of four residential development scenarios on that energy demand and resulting GHG emissions. Potential GHG emission reductions of approximately 23% are found between the most conservative and aggressive scenarios. The greatest potential energy savings are found in regions that currently have a relatively low share of compact housing types, particularly those that also have relatively cold winters compared to the state's other regions. These factors, along with the distribution of home heating fuels used (electric vs. natural gas), influence the extent of potential GHG emissions reductions.

Physical and chemical properties of bio-oils from microwave pyrolysis of corn stover

This study was aimed to understand the physical and chemical properties of pyrolytic bio-oils produced from microwave pyrolysis of corn stover regarding their potential use as gas turbine and home heating fuels. The ash content, solids content, pH, heating value, minerals, elemental ratio, moisture content, and viscosity of the bio-oils were determined. The water content was approx 15.2 wt%, solids content 0.22 wt%, alkali metal content 12 parts per million, dynamic viscosity 185 mPa.s at 40 degrees C, and gross high heating value 17.5 MJ/kg for a typical bio-oil produced. Our aging tests showed that the viscosity and water content increased and phase separation occurred during the storage at different temperatures. Adding methanol and/or ethanol to the bio-oils reduced the viscosity and slowed down the increase in viscosity and water content during the storage. Blending of methanol or ethanol with the bio-oils may be a simple and cost-effective approach to making the pyrolytic bio-oils into a stable gas turbine or home heating fuels.

Soybean-Derived Biofuels and Home Heating Fuels

It is environmentally enticing to consider replacing or blending petroleum derived heating fuels with biofuels for many reasons. Major considerations include the soaring worldwide price of petroleum products, especially home heating oil, the toxicity of the petroleum-derived fuels and the environmental damage that leaking petroleum tanks afford. For these reasons, it has been suggested that domestic renewable energy sources be considered as replacements, or at the least, as blending stocks for home heating fuels. If recycled soy restaurant cooking oils could be employed for this purpose, this would represent an environmental advantage. Renewable plant sources of energy tend to be less toxic than their petroleum counterparts. This is an important consideration when tank leakage occurs. Home fuel oil storage tanks practically always contain some bottom water. This water environment has a pH value that factors into heating fuel stability. Therefore, the question is: would the biofuel help or exacerbate fuel stability and furnace maintenance issues?

Switchgrass: Your Next Home Heating Fuel?

Switchgrass: Your Next Home Heating Fuel?

Severe Hypothermia Complicated by Home Heating Fuel Oil Contamination

Severe Hypothermia Complicated by Home Heating Fuel Oil Contamination

Organic Combustion Fingerprints of Three Common Home Heating Fuels

The chemical structures of three common home heating fuels are discussed: wood, coal and No. 2 fuel oil. GC and GC/MS data are then presented which demonstrate how the thermal destruction of each of these fuels results in the production of a characteristic group of organic compounds. In the case of wood, where the chief structural element is the lignin polymer, these are the methoxy phenols, the methoxy benzenes, and the alkyl benzenes. In the case of coal, where the polymer contains more fused-ring structures, the chief products are fused-ring aromatics with structures of 3- rings or more, the benzothiophenes, and to a lesser extent the methyl-substituted phenols. In the case of oil, the chief byproducts are shown to be unburned droplets of the oil itself. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of how these “fingerprints” might be used as apportionment guides in complex airsheds.

Regional variations in US consumer response to price changes in home heating fuels: the Northeast and the South

(1987). Regional variations in US consumer response to price changes in home heating fuels: the Northeast and the South. Applied Economics: Vol. 19, No. 9, pp. 1261-1268.

Residential Fuelwood Use in the United States

Abstract A national survey by the USDA Forest Service found that U.S. households are burning more wood than at any time since World War II. In 1981, an estimated 42 million cords were used--an amount equal to one-fourth of that going into other wood products. Eighty percent of fuelwood is hardwood. The effect on timber markets is limited because only one-fourth is purchased and less than one-fourth of that cut by households comes from portions of trees usable for pulpwood or sawlogs. Currently, fuelwood displaces 2 to 3 percent of other home-heating fuels. One-half of fuelwood is burned in rural areas, where almost one-half of the households use 2½ to 3 cords annually. Greatest use per household is in the Pacific Northwest, Northern Rocky Mountains, and New England.

U.S. policies and middle distillate markets in transition

The large mid-distillate market encompassing home heating and diesel fuels is analyzed in terms of its growth, price inflation, and shifting regional and demand patterns. Annual stock movements from 1974 are correlated with energy and weather disruptions along with Federal Government policies. These suggest a delicate balance between insecure petroleum sources and inventory practices of the refiners which could easily lead to shortages in the near future. In the long-run, the distillates are tied to the production and profits of the larger gasoline market, where demand is expected to fall sharply.

Contamination of the Lake Tahoe Air Basin by High Molecular Weight Petroleum Residues

The atmosphere of the Lake Tahoe air basin is contaminated with high molecular weight (> C12) petroleum hydrocarbons. Aerosol samples were collected by high-volume filtration and the solvent-soluble organic matter was analyzed. The relative concentrations of petroleum residues found were as follows: winter > summer and day > night. This contamination is primarily due to the poorer combustion of diesel and home heating fuels at that altitude and during periods of colder climate.