Fine Particle Emissions from Sauna Stoves: Effects of Combustion Appliance and Fuel, and Implications for the Finnish Emission Inventory
by
Jarkko Tissari 1,*, Sampsa Väätäinen 1, Jani Leskinen 1, Mikko Savolahti 2, Heikki Lamberg 1, Miika Kortelainen 1
, Niko Karvosenoja 2 and Olli Sippula 1,3
Jarkko Tissari 1,*, Sampsa Väätäinen 1, Jani Leskinen 1, Mikko Savolahti 2, Heikki Lamberg 1, Miika Kortelainen 1, Niko Karvosenoja 2 and Olli Sippula 1,3
1
Fine Particle and Aerosol Technology Laboratory, Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
2
Finnish Environment Institute, Latokartanonkaari 11, 00790 Helsinki, Finland
3
Department of Chemistry, University of Eastern Finland, 80101 Joensuu, Finland
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Atmosphere 2019, 10(12), 775; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos10120775
Received: 31 October 2019 / Revised: 22 November 2019 / Accepted: 29 November 2019 / Published: 4 December 2019
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanoparticles in the Atmosphere)
Sauna Stoves (SS) are simple wood combustion appliances used mainly in Nordic countries. They generate emissions that have an impact on air quality and climate. In this study, a new measurement concept for comparing the operation, thermal efficiency, and real-life fine particle and gaseous emissions of SS was utilized. In addition, a novel, simple, and universal emission calculation procedure for the determination of nominal emission factors was developed for which the equations are presented for the first time. Fine particle and gaseous concentrations from 10 different types of SS were investigated. It was found that each SS model was an individual in relation to stove performance: stove heating time, air-to-fuel ratio, thermal efficiency, and emissions. Nine-fold differences in fine particle mass (PM1) concentrations, and about 90-fold differences in concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were found between the SS, when dry (11% moisture content) birch wood was used. By using moist (18%) wood, particle number and carbon monoxide concentrations increased, but interestingly, PM1, PAH, and black carbon (BC) concentrations clearly decreased, when comparing to dry wood. E.g., PAH concentrations were 5.5–9.6 times higher with dry wood than with moist wood. Between wood species, 2–3-fold maximum differences in the emissions were found, whereas about 1.5-fold differences were observed between bark-containing and debarked wood logs. On average, the emissions measured in this study were considerably lower than in previous studies and emission inventories. This suggests that overall the designs of sauna stoves available on the market have improved during the 2010s. The findings of this study were used to update the calculation scheme behind the inventories, causing the estimates for total PM emissions from SS in Finland to decrease. However, wood-fired sauna stoves are still estimated to be the highest individual emission source of fine particles and black carbon in Finland.
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Keywords:
residential wood combustion; stove; sauna; emissions; fine particles; PAH; emission inventory
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MDPI and ACS Style
Tissari, J.; Väätäinen, S.; Leskinen, J.; Savolahti, M.; Lamberg, H.; Kortelainen, M.; Karvosenoja, N.; Sippula, O. Fine Particle Emissions from Sauna Stoves: Effects of Combustion Appliance and Fuel, and Implications for the Finnish Emission Inventory. Atmosphere 2019, 10, 775.
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