Smokeless Fuel for Residential Heating as a Remedy for Air Pollution: Laboratory and Pilot-Scale Operational Investigations

The emission of gaseous
pollutants and particulates from domestic
heating sources, DHS, can be especially troublesome in winter when
the smog effect is enhanced. One of the possible ways to solve this
problem is the use of fuel that emits significantly lower gaseous
pollutants and particulates compared to hard coal. A major feature
of this solution is the possibility of its immediate effect compared
with other solutions that need more time to move toward a system change.
This paper presents the findings from a laboratory and a full-scale
operational pilot investigation into a smokeless fuel application
(charcoal known as “Błękitny Węgiel”,
BW) that is used for residential heating. Pilot experiments in users’
homes were carried out using 34 heating devices. A significant decrease
of gaseous pollutants [NOx, SO2, total organic carbon, PAHs, and B­(a)­P] and particulate emissions
from the heating devices was obtained when BW was applied, and this
was even the case for boilers with outdated constructions.