Abstract

Wood combustion has historically provided essential heat and remains a crucial renewable energy source today. However, residential batch combustion inherently emits significant pollutants, including CO, VOCs, and PM. Since primary optimization measures cannot completely eliminate these emissions, secondary post-combustion remediation is necessary.

To address this, the University of Namur and Stûv collaborated to evaluate the integration of a monolithic oxidation catalyst into an 8 kW residential wood stove.

The initial study demonstrated exceptional abatement, reducing CO by 87%, PM by 66%, and highly toxic PAHs by over 90%. Crucially, in vitro assays on human lung cells proved that this chemical reduction directly translates to a 50% decrease in overall emission cytotoxicity.

Subsequent mechanistic investigations using advanced speciation (PTR-TOF-MS) mapped the partial oxidation of non-methane VOCs. This revealed that the catalyst’s overall conversion efficiency is primarily limited by mass transfer rather than chemical kinetics.

Finally, to overcome the inherent variability of batch combustion, a precise simultaneous direct-comparison methodology was developed. This novel approach confirmed the overall study’s findings, providing a robust and accurate framework for evaluating residential abatement technologies.

Jury

  • Prof. Catherine MICHAUX (UNamur), Chair
  • Prof. Bao-Lian SU (UNamur), Secretary
  • Prof. Damien DEBECKER (UCLouvain)
  • Prof. Hervé JEANMART (UCLouvain)
  • Dr. Thomas DUQUESNE (Stüv)