Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Quantifying the Climate, Air Quality and Health Benefits of Improved Cookstoves: An Integrated Laboratory, Field and Modeling Study
EPA Grant Number: R835438Title: Quantifying the Climate, Air Quality and Health Benefits of Improved Cookstoves: An Integrated Laboratory, Field and Modeling Study
Investigators: Volckens, John , Robinson, Allen , Pierce, Jeffrey , Peel, Jennifer , Johnson, Michael
Institution: Colorado State University , Berkeley Air Monitoring Group , Carnegie Mellon University
EPA Project Officer: Keating, Terry
Project Period: September 1, 2013 through August 31, 2016 (Extended to August 31, 2017)
Project Amount: $1,520,000
RFA: Measurements and Modeling for Quantifying Air Quality and Climatic Impacts of Residential Biomass or Coal Combustion for Cooking, Heating, and Lighting (2012) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Air Quality and Air Toxics , Climate Change , Tribal Environmental Health Research , Air
Objective:
The primary objectives of this EPA STAR project were to (1) develop a Global Cookstove Emissions Dataset using a suite of laboratory and field measurements, and (2) model the impacts from a set of feasible cookstove intervention scenarios (and associated emissions reductions) on global climate, air quality, and health.
Conclusions:
Findings related to Objective 1: Emissions Measurement
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This work resulted in the development of a new laboratory test protocol for characterizing air pollutants emitted by cookstoves: The Firepower Sweep Test (FST). Emissions data gathered using the laboratory-based FST better replicate the range and variability of emissions measured in the real world, because the FST is designed to test emissions over a broad range of firepower levels (there is evidence that firepower is a key operational variable). In this regard, the FST represents an improvement over the traditional Water Boil Test (WBT), which covers a smaller range of firepower and tends to underpredict both the magnitude and variability of cookstove emissions seen in the field.
- Project Output: Publication by Bilsback et al. (under review).
- Project Outcome: Our fundamental approach of testing stoves over a range of firepower levels was adapted by the International Standards Organization and integrated into a draft standard for cookstove emissions testing (ISO 19867-1: Clean cookstoves and clean cooking solutions -- Harmonized laboratory test protocols -- Part 1: Standard test sequence for emissions and performance, safety and durability). The draft standard received international approval in 2017; acceptance of revisions and adoption of the new standard is anticipated in 2018.
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We developed comprehensive datasets of air pollutants emitted by cookstoves. Both laboratory and field data were collected. The datasets provide new information on both health- and climate-relevant emissions from 23 unique stove-fuel combinations (approximately 71 FSTs run in the lab) and from 41 household tests conducted in China, Honduras, Uganda, and India. We report pollutant emissions in terms of PM2.5 mass, size, and chemical composition (black carbon [BC], organic carbon [OC], ionic species), and various gas-phase compounds (carbon monoxide [CO], carbon dioxide [CO2], oxides of nitrogen [NOx], and total hydrocarbons [THC]). Emissions data are reported as a function of time (g/min), fuel mass burned (g/kg), and energy produced (g/kW). These data will be made publically accessible on the Colorado State University website, according to our data sharing plan.
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Project Output: Publication by Eilenberg et al. (in development).
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Project Output: Publication by L’Orange et al. (in development).
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Project Output: Publication by Bilsback et al. (under review).
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In field tests in India and Honduras, we did not observe meaningful differences in air pollutant emissions between several classes of cookstoves (i.e., “improved” vs. traditional wood-burning stoves). This finding supports other published studies that conclude that not all so-called “improved” cookstoves provide health or climate benefits from an emissions standpoint.
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Project Output: Publication by Eilenberg et al. (in development).
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Aerosol size distributions (by number) from stoves tested in the field varied considerably from one country to the next. Charcoal stoves in Uganda emitted the smallest particles with size distributions that tended to be bi- and tri-modal. Wood stove emissions measured in Honduras tended to be unimodal, with a median diameter around 40 nm, while wood stoves from India showed median particle size around 80 nm. Chinese stoves showed three groupings: one around 50 nm, one around ~125 nm, and a third group which is broader and appears bimodal. These findings suggest that climate and health models must incorporate regional- and technology-specific size distributions in order to account for size-dependent aerosol effects.
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Project Output: Publication by Eilenberg et al. (in development).
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We collected continuous stove-use monitoring data in 378 homes across China (52), India (19), Uganda (38), and Honduras (269), producing more than 3500 days of event-based monitoring. A key finding of our measurement campaign is that self-reported stove use data (from surveys) is consistently lower than actual measured usage rates (about 30% lower, in hours of usage per day). This result suggests that self-reported survey data will under-predict levels of cookstove usage (and, hence, emissions).
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Project Output: Publication by Piedrahita et al. (in development).
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We conducted experiments that simulate the photochemical aging process of fresh cookstove emissions in the atmosphere. A key finding of these experiments is that the light absorbing and light scattering properties of cookstove emissions can be reliably modeled using Mie theory under atmospherically relevant conditions. Thus, these experiments validated one of several key assumptions needed to model the effects of cookstove aerosols on climate.
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Project Output: Publication by Saliba et al. (2016). doi:10.1080/02786826.2016.1225947
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We investigated the role of stove type, fuel, and fire conditions (i.e. active flaming vs smoldering) on the optical properties of cookstove emissions. We found little dependence of optical properties on stove type and no influence of fuel. Of the different metrics representing fire conditions, the black carbon-to-particulate matter ratio (BC/PM), by mass, was the best predictor of optical properties compared to the modified combustion efficiency and stove firepower.
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Project Output: Publication by Saliba et al. (2017, under review).
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Findings related to Objective 2: Modelling Impacts on Health and Climate
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We investigated uncertainties in climate effects due to global biofuel emissions. We conclude that the climate effects of biofuel aerosols are largely unconstrained, and the overall sign of the aerosol effects is unclear due to uncertainties in model inputs. This uncertainty limits our ability to introduce mitigation strategies aimed at reducing biofuel BC emissions to counter warming effects from greenhouse gases. To better understand the climate impact of particle emissions from biofuel combustion, we recommend additional field/laboratory measurements to narrow constraints on (1) emissions mass, (2) emission size distribution, (3) mixing state, and (4) ratio of black carbon to organic aerosol.
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Project Output: Publication by Kodros et al. (2015). doi: 10.5194/acp-15-8577-2015
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Using the concentration-response functions (CRFs) of Burnett et al. (2014 Environ. Health Perspect. 122:397–403), we developed a first estimate of 270,000 adult mortalities (yearly, across the globe) due to chronic exposure to ambient PM2.5 from uncontrolled combustion of domestic waste. This is likely a conservative estimate due to the resolution of the model we used.
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Project Output: Publication by Kodros et al. (2016). doi:10.1088/1748-9326/11/12/124022
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We leverage our stove-use monitoring and emissions data to model room-air concentrations of PM2.5 and CO that would be achieved under various scenarios where traditional cookstoves are replaced by cleaner, more efficient stoves. A key finding of our modeling efforts is that only Tier 4 stoves (as defined by ISO. International Workshop Agreement 11:2012 “Guidelines for evaluating cookstove performance”) are capable of achieving room-air concentrations that meet the World Health Organization (WHO) interim guideline of 35 mg/m3 for PM2.5 – all other forms of ‘improved’ stove will fall short of this guideline. Very few wood-burning stoves (and virtually no coal burning stoves) are capable of meeting the Tier 4 standard or the WHO interim guideline.
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Project Output: Publication by Piedrahita et al. (in preparation).
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We evaluated uncertainties that underlie how the WHO attributes health impacts (premature mortalities) from human exposure to cookstove emissions (i.e., the Global Burden of Disease Model that is used to determine annual mortalities from household air pollution). We found that uncertainty in the exposure-response function dominates the sensitivity of estimates of mortality from exposure to PM2.5 from cookstove emissions. We recommend that future efforts be levied to better define the precision and shape of the exposure-response function for the (growing) list of diseases associated with exposure to household air pollution.
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Project Output: Publication by Kodros et al. (2017, GeoHealth, in press).
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We leveraged our laboratory and field emissions data to estimate the climate and health implications of emissions from various stoves. We found modest health benefits associated with the use of rocket stoves (a 2.4-fold decrease in PM emissions on a per-hour cooking basis compared to a traditional three-stone fire), but no climate benefits compared to traditional stove emissions due to their higher fraction of black carbon (BC) in emissions.
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Project Output: Publication by Saliba et al. (in preparation).
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References:
Bilsback, K. et al. Closing the Gap between Lab and Field Emissions from Biofuel Cookstoves: The Firepower Sweep Test Protocol. Under review.
Burnett, R.T., Pope, C.A. III, Ezzati, M., Olives, C., Lim, SS., Mehta, S., Shin, H.H., Singh, G., Hubbell, B., Brauer, M., Anderson, H.R., Smith, K.R., Balmes, J.R., Bruce, N.G., Kan, H., Laden, F., Prüss-Ustün, A., Turner, M.C., Gapstur, S.M., Diver, W.R., Cohen, A. (2014). An integrated risk function for estimating the global burden of disease attributable to ambient fine particulate matter exposure. Environ Health Perspect 122:397–403, doi:10.1289/ehp.1307049
Eilenberg, S.R., Bilsback, K.R., Johnson, M., Kodros, J.K., Lipsky, E.M., L’Orange, C., Pierce, J.R., Subramanian, R., Volckens, J., and A.L. Robinson. Field Measurements of Solid-Fuel Cookstove Emissions from Uncontrolled Cooking in China, Honduras, Uganda, and India. Currently in draft.
Kodros, J. K. and Pierce, J. R. (2017): Important global and regional differences in aerosol cloud-albedo effect estimates between simulations with and without prognostic aerosol microphysics, J. Geophys. Res. Atmos., doi:10.1002/2016JD025886.
Kodros, J. K., Cucinotta, R., Ridley, D. A., Wiedinmyer, C. and Pierce, J. R. (2016) The aerosol radiative effects of uncontrolled combustion of domestic waste, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16(11), 6771–6784, doi:10.5194/acp-16-6771-2016.
Kodros, J. K., Scott, C. E., Farina, S. C., Lee, Y. H., L’Orange, C., Volckens, J. and Pierce, J. R. (2015) Uncertainties in global aerosols and climate effects due to biofuel emissions, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15(15), 8577–8596, doi:10.5194/acp-15-8577-2015.
Kodros, J. K., Wiedinmyer, C., Ford, B., Cucinotta, R., Gan, R., Magzamen, S. and Pierce, J. R. (2016). Global burden of mortalities due to chronic exposure to ambient PM 2.5 from open combustion of domestic waste, Environ. Res. Lett., 11(12), 124022, doi:10.1088/1748-9326/11/12/124022.
Kodros, J.K., Carter, E., Brauer, M. Volckens, J., Bilsback, K.R., L’Orange, C., Johnson, M. and J. R. Pierce (2017) Quantifying the contribution to uncertainty in mortality attributed to household, ambient, and joint exposure to PM2.5 from residential solid-fuel use. GeoHealth in press.
L’Orange, C. et al. Results of the 2014 Front Range Cookstoves Study. Currently in Draft.
Saliba, G., Subramanian, R., Bilsback, K., Volckens, J., Johnson, M., and A.L. Robinson. Climate Implications of Emissions from Traditional and Improved Cooking Stoves. Currently in draft.
Saliba, G., Subramanian, R., Saleh, R., Ahern, A.T., Lipsky, E.M., Tasoglou, A., Sullivan, R.C., Bhandari, J., Mazzoleni, C. and Robinson, A.L., (2016). Optical properties of black carbon in cookstove emissions coated with secondary organic aerosols: Measurements and modeling. Aerosol Science and Technology, 50(11), 1264-1276.
Tasoglou, A., Saliba, G., Subramanian, R., Pandis, S.N. (2017) Investigation of the chemical aging and absorption of carbonaceous aerosol from wood fires, Journal of Aerosol Science, 113, 141-152.
Journal Articles on this Report : 13 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
Other project views: | All 39 publications | 13 publications in selected types | All 13 journal articles |
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Type | Citation | ||
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Eilenberg SR, Bilsback KR, Johnson M, Kodros JK, Lipsky EM, Naluwagga A, Fedak KM, Benka-Coker M, Reynolds B, Peel J, Clark M, Shan M, Sambandam S, L’Orange C, Pierce JR, Subramanian R, Volckens J, Robinson AL. Field measurements of solid-fuel cookstove emissions from uncontrolled cooking in China, Honduras, Uganda, and India. Atmospheric Environment 2018;190:116-125. |
R835438 (Final) |
Exit Exit Exit |
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Kodros JK, Scott CE, Farina SC, Lee YH, L'Orange C, Volkens J, Pierce JR. Uncertainties in global aerosols and climate effects due to biofuel emissions. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 2015;15(15):8577-8596. |
R835438 (2015) R835438 (Final) |
Exit Exit |
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Kodros JK, Wiedinmyer C, Ford B, Cucinotta R, Gan R, Magzamen S, Pierce JR. Global burden of mortalities due to chronic exposure to ambient PM2.5 from open combustion of domestic waste. Environmental Research Letters 2016;11(12):124022 (10 pp.). |
R835438 (2016) R835438 (Final) |
Exit Exit |
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Kodros JK, Cucinotta R, Ridley DA, Wiedinmyer C, Pierce JR. The aerosol radiative effects of uncontrolled combustion of domestic waste. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 2016;16(11):6771-6784. |
R835438 (2016) R835438 (Final) |
Exit Exit Exit |
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Kodros JK, Pierce JR. Important global and regional differences in aerosol cloud-albedo effect estimates between simulations with and without prognostic aerosol microphysics. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 2017;122(7):4003-4018. |
R835438 (2016) R835438 (Final) |
Exit Exit |
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Kodros JK, Carter E, Brauer M, Volckens J, Bilsback KR, L'Orange C, Johnson M, Pierce JR. Quantifying the contribution to uncertainty in mortality attributed to household, ambient, and joint exposure to PM2.5 from residential solid fuel use. GeoHealth 2018;2(1):25-39. |
R835438 (Final) |
Exit Exit |
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Kodros J, Hanna S, Bertram A, Leaitch W, Schultz J, Herber A, Zanatta M, Burkart J, Willis M, Abbatt J, Pierce J. Size-resolved mixing state of black carbon in the Canadian high Arctic and implications for simulated direct radiative effect. ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS 2018;18(15):11345-11361. |
R835438 (Final) |
Exit Exit |
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Kodros, JK, Volkens J, Jathar S, Pierce J. Ambient Particulate Matter Size Distributions Drive Regional and Global Variability in Particle Deposition in the Respiratory Tract. GEOHEALTH 2018;2(10):298-312. |
R835438 (Final) |
Exit Exit |
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Piedrahita R, Johnson M, Bilsback K, L'Orange C, Kodros J, Eilenberg S, Naluwagga A, Shan M, Sambandam S, Clark M, Pierce J, Balakrishnan K, Robinson A, Volckens J. Comparing Regional stove-usage patterns and using those patterns to model indoor air quality impacts. INDOOR AIR 2020;30(3):521-533. |
R835438 (Final) |
Exit Exit |
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Saleh R, Adams PJ, Donahue NM, Robinson AL. The interplay between assumed morphology and the direct radiative effect of light-absorbing organic aerosol. Geophysical Research Letters 2016;43(16):8735-8743. |
R835438 (Final) |
Exit Exit |
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Saliba G, Subramanian R, Saleh R, Ahern AT, Lipsky EM, Tasoglou A, Sullivan RC, Bhandari J, Mazzoleni C, Robinson AL. Optical properties of black carbon in cookstove emissions coated with secondary organic aerosols: measurements and modeling. Aerosol Science and Technology 2016;50(11):1264-1276. |
R835438 (2016) R835438 (Final) |
Exit Exit Exit |
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Saliba G, Subramanian R, Bilsback K, L'Orange C, Volckens J, Johnson M, Robinson A. Aerosol Optical Properties and Climate Implications of Emissions from Traditional and Improved Cookstoves. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2018;52(22):13647-13656. |
R835438 (Final) |
Exit |
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Tasoglou A, Saliba G, Subramanian R, Pandis SN. Absorption of chemically aged biomass burning carbonaceous aerosol. Journal of Aerosol Science 2017;113:141-152. |
R835438 (Final) R835035 (Final) |
Exit Exit Exit |
Supplemental Keywords:
household air pollution, wood smoke, airborne particulate matter, radiative forcing, emissions, aerosol, exposure-responseProgress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.