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 Blekitny Wegiel, 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emissions from the heating devices was obtained when BW was applied, and this was even the case for boilers with outdated constructions.