MEASUREMENTS OF FULL COMBUSTION-CYCLE EMISSIONS FROM PEAT AND WOOD IN A DOMESTIC STOVE

This experimental study presents both particulate and gaseous emission data for a conventional household stove burning biomass fuels commonly used in Ireland: peat, softwood, and hardwood. This work is intended to replicate typical usage in an Irish context, and to represent real-world conditions. As such, emission data were gathered across the entire combustion cycle, beginning with ignition from a cold start, through flaming to smouldering and the end of combustion. Full cycle emission factors are reported for particulate matter, NOx, CO and CO2. Particulate matter emissions were notably high and variable for peat briquettes, a nominally smokeless fuel, while hardwood logs gave rise to the lowest emission factors. Peat briquettes NOx emission factors were also the highest of the fuels tested. CO2 emission factors were lower than theoretically calculated values across all fuels, while CO emission factors were relatively high, indicating the potential for improvement of combustion conditions.