Investigation of organic pollutants from house heating systems using biogenic fuels and correlations with other exhaust gas components

Biogenic fuels are an interesting alternative to reduce the CO2 emission fr om energy plants and general heat supply. In contrast to wood as a fuel, bi ogenic fuels are much more critical because of their higher content of chlo ride, which seems to be an essential factor for the formation of chlorinate d organic compounds. In the exhaust gases from hay and straw polychloro-dib enzo-furans and polychloro-dibenzo-p-dioxins in the ngI-TE/Nm(3) level were detected. The polychlorobenzene (PCBz) concentrations were low, except fro m rape. Analogous to the PCBz yield the incineration of wood and biogenic f uels (except wheat straw pellet and hay chopping material) produced relativ ely small and comparable concentrations of polychlorophenols. The polyaroma tic hydrocarbons concentration of untreated wood and biogenic fuels were al so very similar. In contrast to the exhaust gas results the concentrations of PAH in slag from untreated wood were up to a factor 50 higher than from the other biogenic fuels. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserve d.