Community kitchen tandoors (CKT)-a potential candidate for air pollution mitigation strategies?

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Public Health
• Combustion Engineering

Background:

• Community kitchen tandoors (CKTs) are prevalent in South Asia and the Middle East, utilizing charcoal or wood fuel.
• These traditional cooking devices contribute significantly to ambient air pollution and pose occupational health risks due to a lack of emissions and safety standards.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess particulate matter (PM2.5) and carbon monoxide (CO) exposure levels from traditional CKTs in New Delhi.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of fuel modifications and an improved tandoor design in reducing emissions.

Main Methods:

• Field surveys of 139 restaurants in New Delhi to analyze CKT designs and operations.
• Laboratory testing of traditional CKTs with improved fuels (briquettes, pellets).
• Evaluation of an automated pellet-fed forced-draft improved tandoor with an enhanced combustion chamber.

Main Results:

• Traditional CKTs exhibited PM2.5 and CO concentrations far exceeding safe indoor air quality guidelines.
• Fuel improvements alone in traditional CKTs did not sufficiently lower microenvironment concentrations.
• The improved tandoor design demonstrated an 84% reduction in PM2.5 and a 94% reduction in CO compared to a traditional tandoor using pellets.

Conclusions:

• Fuel modifications are insufficient for mitigating CKT emissions; a redesigned, automated tandoor is necessary.
• The improved CKT offers significant environmental and health benefits, with potential for large-scale implementation.
• This technology can be integrated into air pollution mitigation strategies and city action plans, such as the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).