PCDD/F emissions from burning wheat and rice field residue

This paper presents the first known values for emissions of polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDDs/Fs) from combustion of agricultural field biomass. Wheat and rice straw stubble collected from two western US states were tested in a field burn simulation to determine emission factors. The resulting emission factor was approximately 0.5 ng toxic equivalency (TEQ)/kg burned for both sources. When coupled with published agricultural data on crop residue burning, about 1 g TEQ/year can be expected from wheat and rice straw residue burning, making this an apparently minor source of PCDDs/Fs in the United States. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.