Articles | Volume 20, issue 24 
            
                
                    
            
            
            https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-16135-2020
                    © Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under 
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
                the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-16135-2020
                    © Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under 
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
                the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Emission factors for PM10 and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from illegal burning of different types of municipal waste in households
András Hoffer
                                            MTA-PE Air Chemistry Research Group, 10 Egyetem Street, 8200
Veszprém, Hungary
                                        
                                    Beatrix Jancsek-Turóczi
                                            Institute of Environmental Sciences, University of Pannonia, 10
Egyetem Street, 8200 Veszprém, Hungary
                                        
                                    Ádám Tóth
                                            Institute of Environmental Sciences, University of Pannonia, 10
Egyetem Street, 8200 Veszprém, Hungary
                                        
                                    Gyula Kiss
                                            MTA-PE Air Chemistry Research Group, 10 Egyetem Street, 8200
Veszprém, Hungary
                                        
                                    
                                            Institute of Environmental Sciences, University of Pannonia, 10
Egyetem Street, 8200 Veszprém, Hungary
                                        
                                    Anca Naghiu
                                            Research Institute for Analytical Instrumentation Subsidiary,
National Institute of R&D for Optoelectronics, 67 Donath Str., 400293
Cluj-Napoca, Romania
                                        
                                    Erika Andrea Levei
                                            Research Institute for Analytical Instrumentation Subsidiary,
National Institute of R&D for Optoelectronics, 67 Donath Str., 400293
Cluj-Napoca, Romania
                                        
                                    Luminita Marmureanu
                                            Remote Sensing Department, National Institute of R&D for
Optoelectronics, 409 Atomistilor Str., 077125 Măgurele, Ilfov, Romania
                                        
                                    Attila Machon
                                            Air Quality Reference Centre, Hungarian Meteorological Service, 39
Gilice Square, 1181 Budapest, Hungary
                                        
                                    András Gelencsér
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
                                            
                                    
                                            MTA-PE Air Chemistry Research Group, 10 Egyetem Street, 8200
Veszprém, Hungary
                                        
                                    
                                            Institute of Environmental Sciences, University of Pannonia, 10
Egyetem Street, 8200 Veszprém, Hungary
                                        
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                                                Specific tracer compounds identified previously in controlled test burnings of different waste types in the laboratory were detected and quantified in ambient PM10 samples collected in five Hungarian and four Romanian settlements. Back-of-the-envelope calculations based on the relative emission factors of individual tracers suggested that the contribution of solid waste burning particulate emissions to ambient PM10 mass concentrations may be as high as a few percent.
                                            
                                            
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                                                Specific tracer compounds identified previously in controlled test burnings of different waste types in the laboratory were detected and quantified in ambient PM10 samples collected in five Hungarian and four Romanian settlements. Back-of-the-envelope calculations based on the relative emission factors of individual tracers suggested that the contribution of solid waste burning particulate emissions to ambient PM10 mass concentrations may be as high as a few percent.
                                            
                                            
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                                                Due to the widespread use of plastics high amounts of waste are burned in households worldwide, emitting vast amounts of PM10 and PAHs into the atmosphere.  In this work different types of common plastics were burned in the laboratory with a view to identifying potentially specific tracer compounds and determining their emission factors. The compounds found were also successfully identified in atmospheric PM10 samples, indicating their potential use as ambient tracers for illegal waste burning.
                                            
                                            
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                Short summary
                    Emission factors for PM10 and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are reported for the first time ever for the indoor combustion of 12 common types of municipal solid waste that are frequently burned in households worldwide. We have found that waste burning emits up to 40 times more PM10 and 800 times more PAHs than the combustion of dry firewood. Our finding highlights the need for coordinated actions against illegal waste combustion and the extreme health hazard associated with it.
                    Emission factors for PM10 and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are reported for the first...
                    
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