Citation:

Whitehill, A., I. George, R. Long, K. Baker, AND M. Landis. Volatile Organic Compound Emissions from Prescribed Burning in Tallgrass Prairie Ecosystems. ATMOSPHERE. MDPI, Basel, Switzerland, 10(8):464, (2019). https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos10080464

Impact/Purpose:

This study addressing the emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from prescribed prairie fires in the Flint Hills region of Kansas. VOCs are air pollutants that have health impacts on nearby communities and can cause the production of ozone (another air pollutant) in downwind areas. In this work, we measured VOC species downwind of prescribed fires at Konza Prairie, and used the resulting data to calculate emission factors for different species. This data is primarily of interest to air quality modelers, who can use the data as inputs to better constrain the impact of prescribed fires on air quality. These models will improve fire management practices to minimize negative air quality impacts from prescribed fires.

Description:

Prescribed pasture burning plays a critical role in ecosystem maintenance and agricultural productivity, especially in tallgrass prairie ecosystems, but can also have negative impacts on air quality. Volatile organic compound (VOC) concentrations were measured immediately downwind of prescribed tallgrass prairie fires in the Flint Hills region of Kansas, United States. The VOC mixture is dominated by alkenes and oxygenated VOCs, which are highly reactive and can drive photochemical production of ozone downwind of the fires. The computed emission factors are comparable to those previous measured from pasture maintenance fires in Brazil. In addition to the emission of large amounts of particulate matter, hazardous air pollutants such as benzene, formaldehyde, and acrolein are emitted in significant amounts and could contribute to adverse health effects in exposed populations.

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