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Type: Journal Article
Author(s): Emanuela Grandesso; Brian K. Gullett; Abderrahmane Touati; Dennis Tabor
Publication Date: 2011

Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) was combusted at different charge sizes, fuel moisture, and chlorine content to determine the effect on emissions of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDDs/Fs) as well as copollutants CO, PM, and total hydrocarbons. The experiments were performed in an enclosed chamber under conditions simulating open, prescribed burns of forest biomass. Burn progress was monitored through on line measurement of combustion gases and temperature while PCDD/F concentrations were determined by ambient sampling methods. PCDD/F toxic equivalency (TEQ) and total (tetra- to octa-CDD/F) emission factors were independent of charge size (1−10 kg) and moisture content (7−50%). However, the lower chlorinated, mono- to tri-CDD/F compounds were increased by poor combustion conditions: combustion efficiency lower than 0.919 was generally found when the moisture content was higher than 30%. The increase of fuel matrix chlorine from 0.04% to 0.8% using a brine bath resulted in about a 100-fold increase of PCDD/F to about 90 ng TEQ/kg of carbon burned, Cb. These emission factors were linearly dependent on Cl concentration in the biomass. PCDD 2,3,7,8-Cl-substituted congeners and homologue patterns were also influenced by the addition of chlorine resulting in emissions with a higher abundance of the most toxic congeners (TeCDD and PeCDD). When both chlorine and moisture content were increased in the fuel, a simultaneous effect of the two parameters was observed. The increased TEQ values expected from higher Cl concentrations were mitigated by the presence of water, giving MCE = 0.868, promoting formation of mono- to tri-PCDD/F, and lowering the TEQ value. Open burn simulations were used to study PCDD/F formation in different combustion conditions providing a mathematical correlation between PCDD/F emissions and chlorine and moisture content in the fuel.

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Citation: Grandesso, Emanuela; Gullett, Brian K.; Touati, Abderrahmane; Tabor, Dennis. 2011. Effect of moisture, charge size, and chlorine concentration on PCDD/F emissions from open burning of forest biomass. Environmental Science & Technology 45(9):3887-3894.

Cataloging Information

Topics:
Regions:
Keywords:
  • air quality
  • biomass burning
  • C - carbon
  • chemistry
  • combustion
  • fire management
  • fuel management
  • fuel moisture
  • hydrocarbons
  • loblolly pine
  • North Carolina
  • PCDD - polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins
  • PCDF - polychlorinated dibenzofurans
  • Pinus taeda
  • PM - particulate matter
  • sampling
  • SFP - Southern Fire Portal
  • toxicity
Record Last Modified:
Record Maintained By: FRAMES Staff (https://www.frames.gov/contact)
FRAMES Record Number: 24466