Field-based measurements of natural gas burning in domestic wall-mounted gas stove and estimates of climate, health and economic benefits in rural Baoding and Langfang regions of Northern China

Abstract The implementation of coal-to-gas shift in rural households for meeting people's heating and cooking demands can reduce pollutant emissions, improve indoor air quality and increase climate, health and economic co-benefits. In rural Baoding and Langfang regions of Hebei Province, China, approximately 1.25 million households have shifted from coal to natural gas combustion. Field-based emission factors, modified combustion efficiency, and thermal efficiency of typical gas stoves were measured to evaluate the contribution of this shift to local air pollution control. Natural gas burning in stoves produced much lower air pollution than coal or other popular fuel/stove combinations due to its good fuel properties and high combustion efficiency. All tested gas stoves were rated at excellent tiers according to Chinese national standards. Through the adoption of coal-to-gas shift during a complete winter heating season, the total emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitric oxide (NO), methane (CH4), particles with an aerodynamic diameter of ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5) and ≤10 μm (PM10) were reduced by 98%, 56%, 33%, 80%, 82%, 99% and 99% in rural Baoding region, and by 99%, 37%, 25%, 83%, 71%, 99% and 99% in rural Langfang region, respectively. Correspondingly, GWC100 values decreased from 11 396 to 4 554 and from 13 408 to 7 881 ktCO2e·heat season−1·city−1 for the two cities, respectively. The estimated 7 083, 1 142, 8 834, 3 422, and 2 464 all-cause mortality cases resulting from the intakes of CO, NO, SO2, PM2.5 and PM10 were avoided in rural Baoding region, and 5 771, 467, 7 432, 2 762 and 1 987 cases were avoided in rural Langfang region, among which cardiopulmonary death was the primary reduced mortality. The average economic benefits were 10.40 and 9.98 billion CNY (Chinese Yuan), which was equivalent to 3.19% and 3.22% of the local GDPs.