Improving environmental performance of solid fuel heating systems

在英国，固体燃料炉灶在过去几年中越来越受欢迎，这是由于燃料成本的增加，人们认为它们是低碳的，以及生活方式的趋势。然而，科学和主流媒体都认为，家庭木材燃烧造成的颗粒物空气污染（PM2.5, PM1）迅速上升是毋庸置疑的。固体燃料燃烧还会产生几种挥发性有机化合物/半挥发性有机化合物（VOCs/SVOCs），其中一些对人体健康的危害特别大。自2022年1月固体燃料空间加热器具法规在英国生效以来，英国炉灶行业联盟加大了宣传活动，向消费者宣传符合生态设计标准的炉灶的好处。然而，到目前为止，该行业的主要注意力一直放在提高碳/能源效率上。据报道，与不使用控制环境相比，经DEFRA批准的炉灶室内PM2.5增加了196%，PM1增加了228%，主要原因是在加油期间打开炉门时发生的PM泛滥事件（http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/atmos11121326）。我们提出的研究评估了两种改进机制的可行性，以期解决在打开炉门时减少室内生活空间的PM和VOC排放的未满足的挑战。该项目是科学家（De Montfort University, University of Leicester）和工业炉制造商（Carron, Ecco stove）之间的合作，以确保创新和高效的木材燃烧炉的技术和实践设计，减少室内空间和更广泛的大气中有害污染物的排放。我们为第一阶段提出的为期3个月的可行性研究将结合桌面和实验室的可行性，以测试项目团队构思的设计创新的初步原则。这一解决方案将英国政府的清洁空气战略重点与面对天然气危机从非化石燃料供暖转向的需求交织在一起。这两种建议的干预措施的结合将改善热回收/分配，克服燃烧室中VOC形成和PM通过炉门进入生活空间的问题，从而有助于实现比目前可用的更可持续的供暖和空气质量解决方案。此外，项目团队将在产品开发（第一阶段）及其现场评估（第二阶段）中采用综合方法，以适应数字技术横向开发的影响，以提高其可操作性。我们认为这是在保持空气质量的同时改造家用固体燃料加热系统的有效解决方案。

In the UK, solid fuel stoves have grown in popularity over the past few years, driven by increasing fuel costs, the perception that they are low-carbon as well as lifestyle trends. However, the rapid rise in particulate air pollution (PM2.5, PM1) from domestic wood burning is considered unequivocal both in the scientific and mainstream press. Solid fuel burning also produces several volatile organic compounds/semi volatile organic compounds (VOCs/SVOCs), some of which can be particularly damaging to human health. The UK Stove Industry Alliance has ramped up its campaign to inform the consumers on the benefits of Ecodesign compliant stoves since the regulation for solid fuel space heating appliances came into force in the UK in Jan 2022\. However, to date the sector's major attention has been on improving its carbon/energy efficiency.Reportedly, DEFRA approved stoves increase indoor PM2.5 by 196% and PM1 by 228%, mainly attributed to PM flooding incidents during opening of stove door during refuelling, compared to non-use control environments (http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/atmos11121326). Our proposed study evaluates the feasibility of two improvement mechanisms, aspiring to resolve the unmet challenge of reducing PM and VOC emissions to indoor living space during opening of the stove door. This project is a collaboration between scientists (De Montfort University, University of Leicester) and industrial stove manufacturers (Carron, Ecco Stove) to ensure a technology- and practice-informed design of an innovative and efficient wood burning stove, with reduced emissions of harmful pollutants in the indoor space and wider atmosphere. Our proposed 3-month feasibility study for Phase 1 is going to be a combination of desk- and lab-based feasibility to test the initial principles of design innovations conceived by the project team.This solution intertwines the UK government's clean air strategic priority with the needs for switching from fossil-free heating in the face of the gas crisis. Coupling of the two proposed interventions would improve heat recovery/distribution, overcome the issue of VOC formation in the combustion chamber and PM flooding via the stove door into the living space, thus contributing to a far more sustainable heating and air quality solution than currently available. Alongside, the project team will adopt a comprehensive approach over the product development (Phase 1) and its field evaluation (Phase 2) to accommodate for the influence of lateral developments in digital technologies to improve its operability. We consider it an effective solution to transform domestic solid fuel heating system while preserving the air quality.