Characterization of wood combustion particles: Morphology, mobility, and photoelectric activity

In order to investigate properties of fine particles emitted by wood burners, different methods were applied. The relationship between emissions of particulates and gaseous compounds was studied; morphology and size distribution of submicron particles were investigated. The particles were found to be compact structures with fractal-like dimensions close to three; they contained low mass fractions of volatile compounds. It was shown that the operating conditions, i.e., the amount of combustion air supply, had a strong impact on the particle size distribution and the emission of particle-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PPAHs). Moreover, the relative coverage of the particle surface with PPAHs was found to increase strongly for operation with reduced combustion air supply.