Black carbon cookstove emissions: A field assessment of 19 stove/fuel combinations

Black carbon (BC) emissions from household cookstoves consuming solid fuel produce approximately 25 percent of total anthropogenic BC emissions. The short atmospheric lifetime of BC means that reducing BC emissions would result in a faster climate response than mitigating CO2 and other long-lived greenhouse gases. This study presents the results of optical BC measurements of two new cookstove emissions field assessments and 17 archived cookstove datasets. 

Highlights:

• Results of optical black carbon (BC) measurements of 19 cookstoves is presented.
• An attenuation cross-section was determined for BC analysis using transmissometry.
• BC emission factors and BC/PM is presented for five stove classes.
• Potential relative climate impacts were estimated using CO2-equivalents.