Residential solid fuel combustion
(RSFC) is a key cause of air
pollution in China. In these serial studies, field measurements of
RSFC from 166 rural households in eastern China were conducted to
update the database of emission factors (EFs) and chemical profiles
of gaseous and particulate organic pollutants, and the present study
focuses on the intermediate volatile organic compounds (IVOCs), which
are precursors of secondary organic aerosol (SOA). The results show
that the averaged EFs of IVOCs (EFIVOC) for crop straw,
fuelwood, and coal are 550.7 ± 397.9, 416.1 ± 249.5, and
361.9 ± 308.0 mg/kg, respectively, which are among the EFIVOC of gasoline vehicle, diesel vehicle, non-road machinery,
and heavy fuel oil vessel, and are significantly affected by fuel,
stove, and combustion efficiency. The percentages of normal alkanes
(n-alkanes), branched alkanes (b-alkanes), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and unresolved
complex mixture from RSFC are 3.5 ± 1.6, 8.0 ± 3.7, 17.6
± 6.7, and 70.9 ± 8.1%, respectively, and the compositions
are featured by lower b-alkanes and higher PAHs than those of vehicle
sources. The proportions of some individual n-alkanes and PAHs (such
as n-C12–n-C15, naphthalene, and its alkyl substituents) can be used as
indicators to differentiate RSFC from vehicle sources, while methoxyphenols
can be used to distinguish biomass burning from coal combustion. Based
on China’s energy statistics, the total IVOC emissions from
RSFC in 2014 were 175.9 Gg. These data will help to update the IVOC
emission inventory and improve the estimates of SOA production in
China.