EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF PM EMISSIONS FROM WOOD PELLET STOVES WITH INNOVATIVE BURNING POTS

Concerns about the greenhouse effects caused by the intense exploitation of fossil fuels are shifting interest towards biomass fuels which have nominally zero-net emissions of greenhouse gases. Unfortunately, a poor exploitation of biomass can cause a significant generation of pollutants and particle emissions. It is generally acknowledged that aerosols are the cause of many diseases and premature death [1, 2], hence the problem of analyzing and reducing aerosols in the air is receiving increasing attention. Within this framework, it is critical to develop more efficient and less polluting devices that use biomass as energy source. In this study, results of an extensive set of experiments on a wood pellet stove model equipped with three burning pots are presented. Tests have been performed to investigate the relations between design data and operation parameters of the stove and its emissions. In particular, carbon monoxide (CO) and particulate matter (PM) emissions are correlated to the burningpot geometry and depth. Combustion with burning pot A, releases the highest amount of PM and CO emissions; with burning pots B and C, patented by AICO S.p.A, CO emissions are reduced near-to-zero and PM emissions are strong reduced but not as CO emission reduction. Burning pot C allows to obtain the minimum amount of PM emissions.