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Biological effects of particulate matter emissions from residential pellet boilers in bacterial assays: influence of an electrostatic precipitation

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Abstract

Many studies showed that there are associations between particulate matter (PM) emissions and negative health effects. Sources for particulate matter PM emissions are, in addition to industry and traffic, residential wood combustion. Such PM emissions consist typically of non-combustible impurities contained naturally within the wood fuels (e.g., ash). Additionally, heavy metals from the wood fuel and/or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) formed during incomplete combustions may condense on the surface of these particulate matter and may increase the toxicity of these particles. To reduce negative health effects, wood combustion appliances are forced to emit less PM emissions. This may lead to an increased use of electrostatic precipitators to meet the valid threshold values. Against this background, the overall goal of this paper is it to compare biological effects of PM emissions released under full- and partial-load conditions of a wood pellet boiler with and without a flue gas treatment with an electrostatic precipitator in bacterial assays. The results show that PM emissions emitted under full-load conditions show a lower cytotoxic potential than those collected under partial load. No difference for the genotoxicity between full-load and partial-load conditions could be identified. However, significantly lower genotoxicity during full-load operation and precipitation but higher genotoxicity during partial load and precipitation have been found. Conclusively, the results indicate that the PM emissions emitted under full-load conditions show overall less cytotoxicity and genotoxicity than the emissions from partial-load operation. The PAH concentration doubles between full load and partial load with separator and quadruples between full load and partial load without precipitator.

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Notes

  1. The excess air ratio λ describes the ratio between the measured amount of combustion air and the theoretically required amount of combustion air. A simplified calculation using the oxygen content of the flue gas measured in vol.-% can be done using the following equation: λ = 21/(21 − O2).

  2. The sample concentration was adjusted to the expected amounts of chemicals at the particles (see Table 5 and Table 10). Wherein the sample concentration is limited upwards by the used optical measuring methods.

  3. Wasserbeschaffenheit - Bestimmung des erbgutverändernden Potentials in Wasser und Abwasser mittels Umu-Test

Abbreviations

BCT:

Bacterial contact assay

FAU:

Formazine attenuation units (standardized unit for turbidity)

NOEC:

No observed effect level

SMPS:

Scanning mobility particle sizer

STP:

Standard temperature and pressure

d.b.:

Dry basis

n.d.:

Not detectable

ESP:

Electrostatic precipitator

LOEC:

Lowest observed effect concentration

DL:

Dilution level

ONPG:

O-nitrophenyl-β-d-galactopyranoside

w.b.:

Wet basis

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Acknowledgments

Parts of this study have been performed in the framework of the ToxOAb project.

Funding

The research leading to these results has received funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research under funding reference number 03KB090A.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Technische Universität Hamburg (TUHH) Institut für Umwelttechnik und Energiewirtschaft (IUE), Eißendorferstraße 40, 21071, Hamburg, Germany

    Anna-Lena Schulze & Martin Kaltschmitt

  2. Deutsches Biomasseforschungszentrum (DBFZ), Torgauer Straße 116, 04347, Leipzig, Germany

    Daniel Büchner & Volker Lenz

  3. Noack Laboratorien GmbH, Käthe-Paulus-Straße 1, 31157, Sarstedt, Germany

    Volker Klix

Authors
  1. Anna-Lena Schulze
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  2. Daniel Büchner
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  5. Martin Kaltschmitt
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Correspondence to Anna-Lena Schulze.

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Highlights

- The cytotoxic potential of particulate matter (PM) emissions of an investigated pellet boiler seems to be higher if samples were taken downstream an electrostatic precipitator under full-load conditions.

- The genotoxicity of the particulate matter emission within the flue gas was significantly reduced by the precipitator during full-load operation but increased during partial load.

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Schulze, AL., Büchner, D., Klix, V. et al. Biological effects of particulate matter emissions from residential pellet boilers in bacterial assays: influence of an electrostatic precipitation. Biomass Conv. Bioref. 9, 227–239 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-018-0358-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-018-0358-y

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