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Emissions of volatile organic compounds and carbonyl compounds from residential coal combustion in China

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Journal of Shanghai University (English Edition)

Abstract

Emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and carbonyls from residential coal combustion of five coals with different maturities were studied in a simulated room. The coals were burned in form of honeycomb briquettes in a domestic coal stove, one of the most common fuel/stove combinations in China. Through a dilution system, VOCs and carbonyls samples were collected by canisters and silica-gel cartridges and analyzed by gas chromatography and mass spectrum (GC/MS) and high performance liquid chromatography/ultraviolet (HPLC/UV), respectively. The results show that the bituminous coals with medium volatile matter content produce the highest emissions while the anthracite yields the lowest. Among the identified carbonyls from the coal smoke, the aromatic compounds (benzaldehyde, 2, 5-dimethylbenzaldehyde and p-tolualdehyde, m/o-tolualdehyde, benzene, m, p-xylene and trimethyl-benzene) were relatively abundant, which might be due to the molecular structure of the coal. For formaldehyde, aromatic carbonyls and aliphatic alkanes, their concentrations increase up to the maximum values and then decrease with increasing coal maturity. The total carbonyls and VOCs have the same tendency, which was observed for the emission factors of organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), particulate matter (PM) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) detected in the series study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Environmental Pollutional and Health, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, P. R. China

    Yan-li Feng  (冯艳丽), Bin Xiong  (熊 斌) & Cui-cui Mu  (牟翠翠)

  2. Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai, 264003, Shandong, P. R. China

    Ying-jun Chen  (陈颖军)

Authors
  1. Yan-li Feng  (冯艳丽)
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  2. Bin Xiong  (熊 斌)
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  3. Cui-cui Mu  (牟翠翠)
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  4. Ying-jun Chen  (陈颖军)
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yan-li Feng  (冯艳丽).

Additional information

Communicated by WU Ming-hong

Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos.40773047, 40605033 and 40973071), the Shanghai Leading Academic Discipline Project (Grant No.S30109), and the Earmarked Foundation of the State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry (Grant No.OGL-200705)

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Feng, Yl., Xiong, B., Mu, Cc. et al. Emissions of volatile organic compounds and carbonyl compounds from residential coal combustion in China. J. Shanghai Univ.(Engl. Ed.) 14, 79–82 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11741-010-0201-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11741-010-0201-3

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