Tagging Emissions from Indoor Biomass Combustion with a Cost-Effective Sensor Array: From Design to Field Deployment...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Atmospheric Chemistry
• Public Health

Background:

• Biomass combustion is a primary indoor air pollution source in rural households, particularly in the Indo-Gangetic Plains.
• Accurate quantification of emissions is crucial for developing effective mitigation strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce an innovative, portable, and cost-efficient sensor array for monitoring emissions from indoor biomass combustion.
• To develop hardware and software for real-time data acquisition and processing of various pollutants.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a sensor array measuring CO2, CO, NO2, SO2, PMs, VOCs, NOx, temperature, humidity, and pressure.
• Employed BME688 sensors with temperature cycling for enhanced accuracy and fuel fingerprinting.
• Developed custom hardware and software for data collection and analysis.

Main Results:

• Measured CO2 emissions from a single cooking event at approximately 2.3 ± 1.5 kg CO2 per family.
• Estimated total daily CO2 emissions from household biomass cooking in rural India at 0.6 ± 0.4 teragrams (Tg).
• Achieved 95% accuracy in fingerprinting emissions from different biomass fuel types using dual BME688 sensors.

Conclusions:

• The developed sensor array provides a novel method for real-time emission quantification from indoor biomass combustion.
• Accurate, source-specific emission data can significantly enhance the development and implementation of mitigation efforts.
• This technology has broad applicability for improving air quality and public health in affected regions.