Generation of heat using wood - Atmospheric emissions. The fundamentals

Wood is a particularly useful renewable energy source for reducing the use of fossil fuels and cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Its use is now clearly encouraged by significant state subsidies granted to private individuals as part of the implementation of the ENR renewable energy support policy (tax credit, zero-rate loan). To meet targets for increasing the use of renewable energies, biomass, which already accounts for over 50% of renewable energies in France, is set to remain at this level and grow by 70% in terms of mass over the period 2006-2020, with a simultaneous increase of 3 million homes heated with wood to reach 9 million by 2020.

However, wood combustion can be a significant source of atmospheric pollutants, particularly fine particles, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Pollutant emissions are higher, in proportion to the energy produced, when wood is used in domestic heating appliances.

It is therefore necessary to develop wood energy combustion while limiting emissions of atmospheric pollutants. This requires the use of appropriate fuels and efficient techniques with high environmental performance. In other words, to develop clean and sober biomass combustion.

This folder contains information for :

• master the parameters that influence this pollution and start from the basics with the equations of wood combustion (§ 1 );

• take stock of the impact of wood combustion on the greenhouse effect (§ 2 );

• provide an inventory of emission factors (§ 3