Emission estimates of organic and elemental carbon from household biomass fuel used over the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP), India

Biomass burning emits large amount of aerosols and trace gases into the atmosphere, which have significant impact on atmospheric chemistry and climate. In the present study, we have selected seven Indian states (Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar and West Bengal) over the IGP, India. Samples of biomass fuel (Fuel Wood, Crop Residue and Dung Cake) from rural household have been collected (Saud et al., 2011a). The burning process has been simulated using a dilution sampler following the methodology developed by Venkatraman et al. (2005). In the present study, emission factor represents the total period of burning including pyrolysis, flaming and smoldering. We have determined the emission factors of organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) from different types of biomass fuels collected over the study area. Average emission factors of OC from dung cake, fuel wood and crop residue over IGP, India are estimated as 3.87 ± 1.09 g kg−1, 0.95 ± 0.27 g kg−1, 1.46 ± 0.73 g kg−1, respectively. Similarly, average emission factors of EC from dung cake, fuel wood and crop residue over IGP, India are found to be 0.49 ± 0.25 g kg−1, 0.35 ± 0.07 g kg−1 and 0.37 ± 0.14 g kg−1, respectively. Dung cake and crop residue are normally not used in Uttarakhand. Annual budget of OC and EC from biomass fuels used as energy in rural households of IGP, India is estimated as 361.96 ± 170.18 Gg and 56.44 ± 29.06 Gg respectively. This study shows the regional emission inventory from Indian scenario with spatial variability.