Importance of Activity Data for Improving the Residential Wood Combustion Emission Inventory at Regional Level

The contribution of residential wood combustion (RWC) to emission inventory at local level was estimated using a bottom up approach for the Lombardy Region of North Italy. A survey, based on CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing) method, has been undertaken through 18,000 interviews, in order to characterize the RWC use in this region, in term of both total and spatialised wood consumption. Details on the type of appliances used in RWC were also gathered. The results of the survey were then statistically analyzed in order to allow an estimate of RWC with high spatial resolution (municipal level) in relation to the size and altitude of territory. The work provides new evidence of the importance of wood combustion as a key source for PM and VOC emissions at local level, and thus the importance of technological improvements and new policies aimed at emission reduction in this sector. The large variability of PM emission factors for wood combustion (depending on type of wood, combustion devices, operation modes etc.) is an important source of uncertainty in PM emissions estimates. Considering the great differences in average PM emission factors between low efficiency appliances (fireplaces, old stoves) and high efficiency ones (new stoves, pellet burners), this work highlights the importance of achieving more detailed information on types of wood appliances used for obtaining a reliable PM emission inventory for RWC.JRC.DDG.F.9-Sustainable Transport (Ispra