Toxic potency-adjusted control of air pollution for solid fuel combustion

Abstract

The combustion of solid fuels, including coal and biomass, is a main anthropogenic source of atmospheric particulate matter (PM). The hidden costs have been underestimated due to lack of consideration of the toxicity of PM. Here we report the unequal toxicity of inhalable PM emitted from energy use in the residential sector and coal-fired power plants (CFPPs). The incomplete burning of solid fuels in household stoves generates much higher concentrations of carbonaceous matter, resulting in more than one order of magnitude greater toxicity than that from CFPPs. When compared with CFPPs, the residential sector consumed only a tenth of solid fuels in mainland China in 2017, but it contributed about 200-fold higher of the population-weighted toxic potency-adjusted PM2.5 exposure risk. We suggest that PM2.5-related toxicity should be considered when making air pollution emission control strategies, and incomplete combustion sources should receive more policy attention to reduce exposure risks.

More Than Concentration Reduction: Contributions of Oxidation Technologies to Alleviating Aerosol Toxicity from Diesel Engines

“…Figure c and d shows PM emissions and their related toxic potency (including cell-based ROS and cytotoxicity)-adjusted emissions originating from ships and diesel vehicles in 2020 in China. The estimation of PM-related toxic potency-adjusted emissions were detailed in our previous study . Although the population of diesel vehicles was substantially higher than that of ships, PM emissions in China from ship exhaust (61 thousand tons) were comparable to those from on-road diesel vehicles (64,000 tons) in 2020 .…”

“…The estimation of PM-related toxic potency-adjusted emissions were detailed in our previous study. 37 Although the population of diesel vehicles was substantially higher than that of ships, PM emissions in China from ship exhaust (61 thousand tons) were comparable to those from on-road diesel vehicles (64,000 tons) in 2020. 33 Furthermore, ship-emitted PMs dominate the overall PM-related toxic potency-adjusted emissions in the two subsectors, with relative contributions of 87.5% and 95.9% for ROS-and cytotoxicity-adjusted emissions, respectively.…”

Seasonality of Aerosol Sources Calls for Distinct Air Quality Mitigation Strategies

“…Through the deployment of ACSM for an extended period (6 months) and in combination with the rolling PMF analysis, residential heating from solid fuel burning (wood, peat, and coal) was found to be one of the major OA sources in cold seasons of winter and spring, while long-range transport was found to play a more important role when heating activities were reduced in warmer seasons of summer. Domestic solid fuel burning can be a great health concern as studies have shown that solid fuel burning OA can be more toxic than other sources [ 9 , 15 ], although the toxicities of peat burning, the dominant solid fuel burning OA factor found in this region, remain poorly investigated in comparison with other solid fuels of wood and coal combustion. Considering that solid fuel burning emissions are directly linked to local heating activities, in theory, it can be reduced through the replacement of dirty fuels by cleaner fuels (e.g., gas or electricity) or using a more efficient wood stove instead of an open stove with no emission control [ 46 ].…”

“…Organic aerosol (OA) is one of the most important components of PM, constituting 20–90% of the submicron PM (PM 1 ) mass [ 14 ]. Atmospheric OA contains thousands of organic molecules, which have been reported to be more toxic than inorganic aerosol, e.g., sulfate and nitrate [ 9 , 15 ]. OA can be directly emitted from emission sources of e.g., traffic [ 16 ] and biomass burning [ 17 ] and was, thus, termed as primary OA (POA), while secondary OA (SOA) is produced in the atmosphere from the oxidation of the precursor gases of volatile organic compounds [ 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ].…”

Global Endeavors to Address the Health Effects of Urban Air Pollution

“…Numerous toxicological studies have also demonstrated varying toxic potencies in PM 2.5 of equal mass between cities and between sources and determined the quantitative contribution of certain components (e.g., metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) to partially account for these discrepancies in toxicity. 19,20 This issue contains a critical review (Colonna et al)…”