The impact of household cooking and heating with solid fuels on ambient PM2.5 in peri-urban Beijing. (September 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Liao, Jiawen; Zimmermann Jin, Anna; Chafe, Zoë A.; Pillarisetti, Ajay; Yu, Tao; Shan, Ming; Yang, Xudong; Li, Haixi; Liu, Guangqing; Smith, Kirk R.
• Is Part Of: Atmospheric environment. Volume 165(2017)
• Page Start: 62
• Page End: 72
• Publication Date: 2017-09
• Subjects: Particulate matter (PM) -- Residential space heating -- Northern China -- Outdoor air quality -- Cookstove; Air -- Pollution -- Periodicals; Air -- Pollution -- Meteorological aspects -- Periodicals; 551.51
• DOI: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2017.05.053
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1352-2310

Abstract

Abstract: Household cooking and space heating with biomass and coal have adverse impacts on both indoor and outdoor air quality and are associated with a significant health burden. Though household heating with biomass and coal is common in northern China, the contribution of space heating to ambient air pollution is not well studied. We investigated the impact of space heating on ambient air pollution in a village 40 km southwest of central Beijing during the winter heating season, from January to March 2013. Ambient PM2.5 concentrations and meteorological conditions were measured continuously at rooftop sites in the village during two winter months in 2013. The use of coal- and biomass-burning cookstoves and space heating devices was measured over time with Stove Use Monitors (SUMs) in 33 households and was coupled with fuel consumption data from household surveys to estimate hourly household PM2.5 emissions from cooking and space heating over the same period. We developed a multivariate linear regression model to assess the relationship between household PM2.5 emissions and the hourly average ambient PM2.5 concentration, and a time series autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) regression model to account for autocorrelation. During the heating season, the average hourly ambient PM2.5 concentration was 139 ± 107 μg/m 3 (mean ± SD) with strong autocorrelation in hourly concentration. The average primary PM2.5 emission per hour from village household space heating was 0.736 ± 0.138 kg/hour. The linear multivariate regression model indicated that during the heating season – after adjusting for meteorological effects – 39% (95% CI: 26%, 54%) of hourly averaged ambient PM2.5 was associated with household space heating emissions from the previous hour. Our study suggests that a comprehensive pollution control strategy for northern China, including Beijing, should address uncontrolled emissions from household solid fuel combustion in surrounding areas, particularly during the winter heating season. Highlights: In a village near Beijing, ambient PM2.5 and household stove use was monitored in a heating season. Primary PM2.5 emissions from household space heating and cooking were estimated. Multivariate analysis shows 39% of local PM2.5 associated with household emissions. The peri-urban area and urban Beijing experienced similar levels of ambient PM2.5