Comparison of measured and modeled ambient concentrations of residential wood combustion emissions

The use of wood for residential heat is increasing in the Tennessee Valley region as it has in other areas of the United States. Because the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) finances wood stove installation as part of its energy conservation package and recognizes the potential for environmentally adverse air quality impacts, TVA's Air Quality Branch (AQB) has undertaken a series of ambient studies. The purpose of the studies reported here was to evaluate the impact of wood burning on ambient air quality. Limited ambient data collected during the winter of 1981-82, source data from TVA's wood heater source tests, and dispersion modeling results for fine particulates, CO, NO /SUB x/ , and benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) are presented in this paper.