Toxic potency-adjusted control of air pollution for solid fuel combustion
Source abstract
Abstract
Abstract The combustion of solid fuels, including coal and biomass, is a main anthropogenic source of atmospheric particulate matter (PM). The hidden costs have been underestimated due to lack of consideration of the toxicity of PM. Here we report the unequal toxicity of inhalable PM emitted from energy use in the residential sector and coal-fired power plants (CFPPs). The incomplete burning of solid fuels in household stoves generates much higher concentrations of carbonaceous matter, resulting in more than one order of magnitude greater toxicity than that from CFPPs. When compared with CFPPs, the residential sector consumed only a tenth of solid fuels in mainland China in 2017, but it contributed about 200-fold higher of the population-weighted toxic potency-adjusted PM2.5 exposure risk. We suggest that PM2.5-related toxicity should be considered when making air pollution emission control strategies, and incomplete combustion sources should receive more policy attention to reduce exposure risks.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Air Quality and Health Impacts · Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols · Energy and Environment Impacts
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
References (47)
Show source-provided references
1. Liu, J. et al. Air pollutant emissions from Chinese households: a major and underappreciated ambient pollution source. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 113, 7756–7761 (2016).10.1073/pnas.1604537113 ↗
2. Zhang, J. J. & Smith, K. R. Household air pollution from coal and biomass fuels in China: measurements, health impacts, and interventions. Environ. Health Perspect. 115, 848–855 (2007).10.1289/ehp.9479 ↗
3. Huang, R. J. et al. High secondary aerosol contribution to particulate pollution during haze events in China. Nature 514, 218–222 (2014).10.1038/nature13774 ↗
4. Lelieveld, J., Evans, J. S., Fnais, M., Giannadaki, D. & Pozzer, A. The contribution of outdoor air pollution sources to premature mortality on a global scale. Nature 525, 367–371 (2015).10.1038/nature15371 ↗
5. Tao, S. et al. Quantifying the rural residential energy transition in China from 1992 to 2012 through a representative national survey. Nat. Energy 3, 567–573 (2018).10.1038/s41560-018-0158-4 ↗
6. Oberschelp, C., Pfister, S., Raptis, C. E. & Hellweg, S. Global emission hotspots of coal power generation. Nat. Sustain. 2, 113–121 (2019).10.1038/s41893-019-0221-6 ↗
7. Tang, L. et al. Substantial emission reductions from Chinese power plants after the introduction of ultra-low emissions standards. Nat. Energy 4, 929–938 (2019).10.1038/s41560-019-0468-1 ↗
8. Zhang, Q. et al. Drivers of improved PM2.5 air quality in China from 2013 to 2017. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 116, 24463–24469 (2019).10.1073/pnas.1907956116 ↗
9. Tong, D. et al. Targeted emission reductions from global super-polluting power plant units. Nat. Sustain. 1, 59–68 (2018).10.1038/s41893-017-0003-y ↗
10. Klimont, Z. et al. Global anthropogenic emissions of particulate matter including black carbon. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 17, 8681–8723 (2017).10.5194/acp-17-8681-2017 ↗
11. Weagle, C. L. et al. Global sources of fine particulate matter: interpretation of PM2.5 chemical composition observed by SPARTAN using a global chemical transport model. Environ. Sci. Technol. 52, 11670–11681 (2018).
12. Lin, C. et al. Extreme air pollution from residential solid fuel burning. Nat. Sustain. 1, 512–517 (2018).10.1038/s41893-018-0125-x ↗
13. Yun, X. et al. Residential solid fuel emissions contribute significantly to air pollution and associated health impacts in China. Sci. Adv. 6, eaba7621 (2020).10.1126/sciadv.aba7621 ↗
14. Conibear, L., Butt, E. W., Knote, C., Arnold, S. R. & Spracklen, D. V. Residential energy use emissions dominate health impacts from exposure to ambient particulate matter in India. Nat. Commun. 9, 617 (2018).10.1038/s41467-018-02986-7 ↗
15. Zhao, H. et al. Inequality of household consumption and air pollution-related deaths in China. Nat. Commun. 10, 4337 (2019).10.1038/s41467-019-12254-x ↗
16. Zheng, B. et al. Trends in China’s anthropogenic emissions since 2010 as the consequence of clean air actions. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 18, 14095–14111 (2018).10.5194/acp-18-14095-2018 ↗
17. Zhao, B. et al. Change in household fuels dominates the decrease in PM2.5 exposure and premature mortality in China in 2005–2015. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 115, 12401–12406 (2018).10.1073/pnas.1812955115 ↗
18. Daellenbach, K. R. et al. Sources of particulate-matter air pollution and its oxidative potential in Europe. Nature 587, 414–419 (2020).10.1038/s41586-020-2902-8 ↗
19. Li, Q. et al. Improving the energy efficiency of stoves to reduce pollutant emissions from household solid fuel combustion in China. Environ. Sci. Techol. Lett. 3, 369–374 (2016).10.1021/acs.estlett.6b00324 ↗
20. Zhang, Y. et al. Characteristics of particulate carbon emissions from real-world Chinese coal combustion. Environ. Sci. Technol. 42, 5068–5073 (2008).10.1021/es7022576 ↗
21. Shen, G. et al. Field measurement of emission factors of PM, EC, OC, parent, nitro-, and oxy- polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons for residential briquette, coal cake, and wood in rural Shanxi, China. Environ. Sci. Technol. 47, 2998–3005 (2013).10.1021/es304599g ↗
22. Wu, B. et al. Effects of wet flue gas desulfurization and wet electrostatic precipitators on emission characteristics of particulate matter and its ionic compositions from four 300 MW level ultralow coal-fired power plants. Environ. Sci. Technol. 52, 14015–14026 (2018).10.1021/acs.est.8b03656 ↗
23. Li, X., Kan, H. & Jin, L. Air pollution: a global problem needs local fixes. Nature 570, 437–439 (2019).10.1038/d41586-019-01960-7 ↗
24. Li, Q. et al. Influences of coal size, volatile matter content, and additive on primary particulate matter emissions from household stove combustion. Fuel 182, 780–787 (2016).10.1016/j.fuel.2016.06.059 ↗
25. Jayarathne, T. et al. Nepal Ambient Monitoring and Source Testing Experiment (NAMaSTE): emissions of particulate matter from wood- and dung-fueled cooking fires, garbage and crop residue burning, brick kilns, and other sources. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 18, 2259–2286 (2018).10.5194/acp-18-2259-2018 ↗
26. Liu, X. et al. Spatially resolved emission factors to reduce uncertainties in air pollutant emission estimates from the residential sector. Environ. Sci. Technol. 55, 4483–4493 (2021).10.1021/acs.est.0c08568 ↗
27. Liu, X. et al. Updated hourly emissions factors for Chinese power plants showing the impact of widespread ultralow emissions technology deployment. Environ. Sci. Technol. 53, 2570–2578 (2019).10.1021/acs.est.8b07241 ↗
28. Shiraiwa, M., Selzle, K. & Poschl, U. Hazardous components and health effects of atmospheric aerosol particles: reactive oxygen species, soot, polycyclic aromatic compounds and allergenic proteins. Free Radic. Res. 46, 927–939 (2012).10.3109/10715762.2012.663084 ↗
29. Jin, L. et al. Contributions of city-specific fine particulate matter (PM2.5) to differential in vitro oxidative stress and toxicity implications between Beijing and Guangzhou of China. Environ. Sci. Technol. 53, 2881–2891 (2019).10.1021/acs.est.9b00449 ↗
30. Li, Q. et al. Impacts of household coal and biomass combustion on indoor and ambient air quality in China: current status and implication. Sci. Total Environ. 576, 347–361 (2017).10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.10.080 ↗
31. Dat, N.-D. & Chang, M. B. Review on characteristics of PAHs in atmosphere, anthropogenic sources and control technologies. Sci. Total Environ. 609, 682–693 (2017).10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.07.204 ↗
32. Baumgartner, J. et al. Highway proximity and black carbon from cookstoves as a risk factor for higher blood pressure in rural China. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 111, 13229–13234 (2014).10.1073/pnas.1317176111 ↗
33. Osornio-Vargas, A. R. et al. Proinflammatory and cytotoxic effects of Mexico City air pollution particulate matter in vitro are dependent on particle size and composition. Environ. Health Perspect. 111, 1289–1293 (2003).10.1289/ehp.5913 ↗
34. Hu, S. et al. Redox activity and chemical speciation of size fractioned PM in the communities of the Los Angeles-Long Beach Harbor. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 8, 6439–6451 (2008).10.5194/acp-8-6439-2008 ↗
35. Pardo, M., Shafer, M. M., Rudich, A., Schauer, J. J. & Rudich, Y. Single exposure to near roadway particulate matter leads to confined inflammatory and defense responses: possible role of metals. Environ. Sci. Technol. 49, 8777–8785 (2015).10.1021/acs.est.5b01449 ↗
36. Leung, D. M. et al. Wintertime particulate matter decrease buffered by unfavorable chemical processes despite emissions reductions in China. Geophys. Res. Lett. 47, e2020GL087721 (2020).10.1029/2020GL087721 ↗
37. Yun, X. et al. Coal is dirty, but where it is burned especially matters. Environ. Sci. Technol. 55, 7316–7326 (2021).10.1021/acs.est.1c01148 ↗
38. Lacey, F. G., Henze, D. K., Lee, C. J., van Donkelaar, A. & Martin, R. V. Transient climate and ambient health impacts due to national solid fuel cookstove emissions. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 114, 1269–1274 (2017).10.1073/pnas.1612430114 ↗
39. Karvosenoja, N. et al. Evaluation of the emissions and uncertainties of PM2.5 originated from vehicular traffic and domestic wood combustion in Finland. Boreal Environ. Res. 13, 465–474 (2008).
40. Denier van der Gon, H. A. C. et al. Particulate emissions from residential wood combustion in Europe – revised estimates and an evaluation. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 15, 6503–6519 (2015).10.5194/acp-15-6503-2015 ↗
41. Zhou, S. et al. Multiphase reactivity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons is driven by phase separation and diffusion limitations. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 116, 11658–11663 (2019).10.1073/pnas.1902517116 ↗
42. Ding, X. et al. Unexpectedly increased particle emissions from the steel industry determined by wet/semidry/dry flue gas desulfurization technologies. Environ. Sci. Technol. 53, 10361–10370 (2019).10.1021/acs.est.9b03081 ↗
43. Wu, D. et al. Primary particulate matter emitted from heavy fuel and diesel oil combustion in a typical container ship: characteristics and toxicity. Environ. Sci. Technol. 52, 12943–12951 (2018).10.1021/acs.est.8b04471 ↗
44. Delistraty, D. Toxic equivalency factor approach for risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Toxicol. Environ. Chem. 64, 81–108 (1997).10.1080/02772249709358542 ↗
45. Wu, D., Zhang, F., Lou, W., Li, D. & Chen, J. Chemical characterization and toxicity assessment of fine particulate matters emitted from the combustion of petrol and diesel fuels. Sci. Total Environ. 605-606, 172–179 (2017).10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.06.058 ↗
46. Zheng, H. et al. Development of a unit-based industrial emission inventory in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region and resulting improvement in air quality modeling. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 19, 3447–3462 (2019).10.5194/acp-19-3447-2019 ↗
47. Zheng, H. et al. Transition in source contributions of PM2.5 exposure and associated premature mortality in China during 2005-2015. Environ. Int. 132, 105111–105124 (2019).10.1016/j.envint.2019.105111 ↗