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Cookstove emissions and performance evaluation using a novel ISO protocol and comparison of results with previous test protocols
Citation:
Champion, W., C. Williams, L. Virtaranta, M. Barnes, W. Preston, M. Hays, AND J. Jetter. Cookstove emissions and performance evaluation using a novel ISO protocol and comparison of results with previous test protocols. American Association for Aerosol Research (AAAR) 38th Annual Conference, NA, Virtual, October 05 - 09, 2020.
Impact/Purpose:
Household air pollution from solid-fuel stoves is the most significant environmental problem that affects human health worldwide. The WHO (World Health Organization) estimates that 3-4 million premature deaths annually are caused by household air pollution, mainly from emissions from cookstoves in the developing world. Additionally, household solid fuel use contributes significantly to ambient black carbon, and transboundary transport of pollutants from millions of stoves in Asia affects ambient air quality in the western U.S. The EPA ORD (Office of Research and Development) is conducting research and activities to address the problem in coordination with a much larger international effort led by the Clean Cooking Alliance. This abstract provides a comparison of stove emissions and performance data between the recently published ISO (International Organization for Standardization) Standard 19867-1 the former Water Boiling Test and Firepower Sweep Test protocols.
Description:
In 2018, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 19867-1 “Harmonized laboratory test protocols” were released with the intent of establishing improved international comparability for data on air pollutant emissions, efficiency, safety, and durability of cookstoves. This study compares emissions and efficiency data between the ISO protocol and the formerly employed Water Boiling Test (WBT) on the same fuel/stove types [liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), wood pellet, wood fan, wood rocket, three stone fire, and charcoal] and tested in the same laboratory (US EPA). Additionally, comparisons in emissions data are made between the ISO and Firepower Sweep Test (FST) protocols for five of the six stove/fuel combinations, and for additional pollutants including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Using the ISO 19867-3 “Voluntary Performance Targets” tier system for carbon monoxide (CO) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions (indicator pollutants specified by ISO), stove types remain similarly ranked using the ISO and WBT protocols (e.g., tier 5 for LPG, tier 4 for wood pellet, tier 0 for three stone fire and charcoal). Compared to the WBT, the ISO protocol results in higher CO and PM2.5 emissions metrics for advanced biomass stove types, and lower emissions for traditional stoves. The FST results in generally higher emissions metrics compared to the ISO. This evaluation of the ISO protocol suggests that it provides data that are both a closer approximation to real-world emissions, yet also relatively consistent with former WBT data in terms of tier ratings for emissions and efficiency.