Pollution or emissions information

Might be a tricky question this but is there any studies done on how much less pollution a rocket stove/rocket mass heater has as compared a standard domestic biomass boiler equivalent?
I've read standard biomass boilers emit nitrogen dioxide, particulates and sulphur. I guess a rocket system would do this as well but to a lesser extent but does anyone have any idea by how much?

What is a "standard domestic biomass boiler equivalent?" Does someone manufacture these? Unless I don't understand what biomass is, why not use biomass as compost?

I'm not sure how much sulfur or nitric oxide (which is what it takes to make nitrogen dioxide) is in wood to start with.

There are gas analyzers available to test the exhaust from any combustion process. The problem is they are relatively expensive ($2K-$3K). We have tested our 6" Dragon Heater using a piece of this equipment and our results are on our blog accessible from the website.

Cindy Mathieu wrote:What is a "standard domestic biomass boiler equivalent?" Does someone manufacture these? Unless I don't understand what biomass is, why not use biomass as compost?

I'm not sure how much sulfur or nitric oxide (which is what it takes to make nitrogen dioxide) is in wood to start with.

There are gas analyzers available to test the exhaust from any combustion process. The problem is they are relatively expensive ($2K-$3K). We have tested our 6" Dragon Heater using a piece of this equipment and our results are on our blog accessible from the website.

Thanks Cindy. I meant a mainstream wood burning heater that you could purchase from a store to heat your home. As rocket stove/rocket mass heaters are more efficient and burn cleaner presumably the amount of nitrogen dioxide, particulates and sulphur emitted into the atmosphere will be much less and it would be great to compare this with a gas analyzer, if that were possible?

Jason,

Go to Trutechtools.com and check out the various products which are made to figure out how much of what a combustion process is putting out. There is also a lot of text on the various measurements which can be done and what the expectations are. For example, I learned that the theoretical maximum efficiency of burning using air (rather than pure oxygen) is 95%. We have a Testo 330; our efficiency using a j-tube designed by Peter van den Berg in a chimney flue liner build (with a good chimney in the summer heat) ranged between 85% and 92%.

The cast iron stove manufacturers don't want you to know just how inefficient or polluting their heaters are; so, they will not be publishing any results of such testing, if they are doing any. What they tend to do is clean up the emissions after the burn with a catalytic converter.

The Alliance for Green Heat (foregreenheat.org) is having a design challenge in November on the mall in DC. They will have some fancy equipment there and emissions is one of the judging criteria. Peter van den Berg's batch box design has been accepted as a finalist for 2 entries (Dragon Heaters and Matt Walker). If you go to the website, you will note that you do not see any traditional cast iron stoves as finalists.

Cindy

Cindy Mathieu wrote:Jason,

Go to Trutechtools.com and check out the various products which are made to figure out how much of what a combustion process is putting out. There is also a lot of text on the various measurements which can be done and what the expectations are. For example, I learned that the theoretical maximum efficiency of burning using air (rather than pure oxygen) is 95%. We have a Testo 330; our efficiency using a j-tube designed by Peter van den Berg in a chimney flue liner build (with a good chimney in the summer heat) ranged between 85% and 92%.

The cast iron stove manufacturers don't want you to know just how inefficient or polluting their heaters are; so, they will not be publishing any results of such testing, if they are doing any. What they tend to do is clean up the emissions after the burn with a catalytic converter.

The Alliance for Green Heat (foregreenheat.org) is having a design challenge in November on the mall in DC. They will have some fancy equipment there and emissions is one of the judging criteria. Peter van den Berg's batch box design has been accepted as a finalist for 2 entries (Dragon Heaters and Matt Walker). If you go to the website, you will note that you do not see any traditional cast iron stoves as finalists.

Cindy

Thanks Cindy. Very interesting stuff. So I take it there no sort of general data comparing one from the other other out there?

I don't know of any general data, but I haven't looked to see whether Consumer's Reports has done something along this line.

Here is a emission study of various stoves including a rocket stove. http://www.scscertified.com/lcs/docs/Global_warming_full_9-6-07.pdf

Generally nitrous oxides increases with combustion temperature, and rocket stoves does run a bit hot.

Frode : Thank you ! It is a shame that this organization continues to hide its good works here in' the states'! They have their own management stele and goals !

It is as though they have little interest in recognising any entity other than an N.G.O. or anybody else outside of a boardroom ! Big AL !