Aerosol loading in an urban environment from a biofuel based CHP plant: assessment and mitigation

This study presents outcomes from a preliminary dispersion modeling exercise for the extent of aerosol loading owing to enhanced biomass combustion in the future energy mix. Secondary aerosol generation potential from photochemical interactions between the precursor emissions from a typical biomass based combined heat and power (CHP) plant and the associated local emissions from harvest and transportation of the biofuels has been estimated for a peri-urban site in the UK. The study provides results for two options – one, direct firing of the energy crop (miscanthus) i.e. base case; two, biomass gasification prior to combustion i.e. mitigation. We demonstrate that on considering the main life cycle stages of biofuel use i.e. harvest, transportation and combustion, the overall effect of the mitigation option is trivial. This is primarily due to increased emissions from harvest and transportation stages while meeting additional biomass feedstock demands incurred in achieving identical energy output as the base case.