Emission factors for PM10 and PAHs from illegal burning of different types of municipal waste in households

Hoffer, András and Jancsek- Turóczi, Beatrix and Tóth, Ádám and Kiss, Gyula and Naghiu, Anca and Levei, Erika Andrea and Marmureanu, Luminita and Machon, Attila and Gelencsér, András (2020) Emission factors for PM10 and PAHs from illegal burning of different types of municipal waste in households. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. ISSN 1680-7324 (Submitted)

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Abstract

It is a common practice in the developing countries and in some regions of Europe that solid wastes generated in the households (e.g. plastic beverage packaging and other plastic wastes, textile wastes, fibreboards, furniture, tyres, and coloured paper waste) are burned in wood- or coal-fired stoves during the winter months. In Europe, the types and volume of municipal waste burned in households is virtually unknown because these activities are illegal and not recorded, with the exception of a few media reports or court cases. Even though particulate emissions from illegal waste burning pose an unprecedented hazard to human health due to the combination of excessive emission factors (EFs) and uncontrolled chemical composition, there is scarce information on the specific emission factors for PM10 and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the scientific literature. In this work, controlled combustion tests were performed with 12 different types of municipal solid waste and particulate emissions were measured and collected for chemical analysis. Absolute emission factors for PM10 and PAHs as well as the benzo(a)pyrene toxicity equivalent of the latter are reported for the first time for the indoor combustion of 12 common types of municipal solid waste that are frequently burned in households worldwide.

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