Increase in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emissions due to briquetting: A challenge to the coal briquetting policy.
Both China and UNEP recommend replacing raw coal chunks with coal briquettes in household sector as clean coal technology (CCT), which has been confirmed by the decreased emissions of particulate matter and black carbon. However, the clean effect has never been systematically checked by other pollutants like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In this study, 5 coals with different geological maturities were processed as both chunks and briquettes and burned in 3 typical coal stoves for the measurement of emission factors (EFs) of particle-bound PAHs. It was found that the EFs of 16 parent PAHs, 26 nitrated PAHs, 6 oxygenated PAHs, and 8 alkylated PAHs for coal briquettes were 6.90 ± 7.89, 0.04 ± 0.03, 0.65 ± 0.40, and 72.78 ± 18.23 mg/kg, respectively, which were approximately 3.1, 3.7, 1.9, and 171 times those for coal chunks, respectively. Such significant increases in PAH emissions increased human health risk and challenged the policy of CCT.
State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, Key Laboratory of Cities' Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate Change, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai 264003, China.
Yingjun
Y
Chen
State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China. Electronic address: zhigr@craes.org.cn.
Guorui
G
Zhi
Institute of Environmental Pollution and Health, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China. Electronic address: fengyanli@shu.edu.cn.
Yanli
Y
Feng
Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai 264003, China.
Chongguo Tian
State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China.
Xinhui
X
Bi
State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China.
Jun
J
Li
State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China.
Gan
G
Zhang
D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D002681:China; D003031:Coal; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D058735:Environmental Policy; D006794:Household Articles; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis*
D000393:Air Pollutants; D003031:Coal; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
Emission factor; Honeycomb coal briquette; Household coal combustion; Policy; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)