The contribution of wood combustion to national pollutant emissions

The role of wood as an energy resource is viewed with regard to air pollution. Current types of woodburning equipment are summarized. The available woodburning equipment emission factors are presented. Emission factors for woodburning equipment are compared to emission factors for fossil-fuel systems used for heat and also compared to automotive pollution sources. This allows comparison of the air pollution costs of alternative combustion systems. The paper summarizes estimates of the annual national wood consumption for the various types of woodburning equipment. These estimates are combined with emission factors to give estimates of total annual emissions. Wood emissions are compared to total national emissions from all sources. This comparison indicates that wood combustion is responsible for roughly 1% of nitrogen oxides emissions, 2% of volatile organics emissions, 2% of particulate emissions, 5% of carbon monoxide emissions, and 50% of polycyclic organic matter emissions. The polycyclic organic matter emissions are of greatest concern due to the carcinogenic nature of many compounds in that category. The possibility of a catalytic convertor, retrofitted to existing stoves, is discussed as a solution, offering advantages of reduced emissions, improved efficiency, and reduction of risk of chimney fires.