Inventory of National Strategies for Reducing the Impact on Air Quality from Residential Wood Combustion (click here)
Reduction of air pollution is a major societal goal, and great efforts are currently undertaken. Over the last 30 years, significant progress has been made, but wood combustion remains a significant source of air pollution in the member countries of IEA Bioenergy.
Therefore, this report compiles national approaches concerning emission reduction strategies in the field of residential wood combustion in selected IEA Bioenergy member countries. This 2nd revised and updated edition was also extended; it reflects the view of 10 countries, now including the USA.
Summary from Expert Roundtable: Strategies for Reducing Air Pollutants from Wood Combustion (click here)
Summary from Expert Roundtable held in Fairbanks, Alaska, on 5 October 2023.
Inventory of national strategies for reducing the impact on air quality from residential wood combustion 2022 (click here) and Summary (click here)
Reduction of air pollution is a major societal goal, and great efforts are currently undertaken. Over the last 30 years, significant progress has been made, but wood combustion remains a significant source of air pollution in the member countries of IEA Bioenergy.
Therefore, this report compiles national approaches concerning emission reduction strategies in the field of residential wood combustion in selected IEA-member countries.
Status of PM emission measurement methods and new developments (click here)
Particulate matter emissions (PME) from biomass combustion pose significant challenges for air pollution control due to their small size and potential to form secondary organic aerosols (SOA) through photo-oxidation. Despite widespread concern, accurately assessing PME contributions to atmospheric pollution remains difficult due to inconsistent measurement methods, varying national standards, and lack of calibration systems. This report seeks to promote international harmonisation of PME measurement techniques by reviewing existing strategies, analysing the impact of methodological variations, and introducing the EN-PME method as a potential standard for Europe and beyond.
Aerosols from Biomass Combustion – Technical report (Thomas Nussbaumer, 2017) (click here)
This report by Thomas Nussbaumer (VERENUM, Switzerland) reviews recent research on particle emissions from biomass combustion and their health implications. While biomass is a renewable energy source that can reduce fossil CO₂ emissions, it also produces PM₁₀ particles that may harm human health. The report explains the formation and types of particles, highlighting that emissions from poorly operated manual devices are more toxic than those from automated systems. It stresses the importance of distinguishing between organic and inorganic pollutants and shows that modern combustion technologies and proper operation can significantly reduce harmful emissions, supporting biomass as a sustainable energy option.
Inventory report on aerosols from small-scale biomass combustion devices (click here)
The objectives of the present study is to review available data on emission factors of particulate emissions from biomass combustion and measurement techniques applied to characterise particle emissions from biomass combustion. Priority is given to wood fuels used in residential wood combustion and in district heating plants. To enable a comparison of different data, the sampling and measurement techniques shall be documented and differences due to different sampling or analysis shall be discussed. Furthermore, the influence of combustion type, fuel parameters and different operation conditions on PM emissions shall be identified.
Health and Safety Aspects of Solid Biomass Storage, Transportation and Feeding (click here)
This publication has been compiled as a joint effort by experts active in Tasks 32, 36, 37 and 40 of the IEA Bioenergy Agreement. It focuses on the health and safety issues of the supply chain of solid biofuels with the objective to highlight commonly used mitigation methodologies to promote a better working environment when dealing with solid biofuels.
With the growth of the bioenergy sector, it is important not only that opportunities for bioenergy are implemented in an efficient and economic manner, but also safely.
Biomass impacts on SCR catalyst performance (click here)
The work focuses on poisoning of SCR catalysts by fly ash minerals and the effects of SO2 interactions with the catalysts.
Papers from the Task 32 Seminar – Aerosols from Biomass Combustion (click here)
The Seminar on Aerosols from Biomass Combustion has been jointly organised by the IEA Biomass Combustion and Cofiring Task and the Swiss Federal Office of Energy. International experts presented the knowledge on the environmental impact of aerosols, the formation mechanisms, the measurement technologies, and the measures for aerosol reduction.