Households significant source of air pollution in Beijing

A recent study by researchers at Peking University showed that household energy use is a significant air pollution source in Beijing, according to Chinese news portal caixin.com.

The study led by Zhu Tong, director of the College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at Peking University, was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a U.S. journal that publishes high-quality scientific research.

It showed that burning solid fuels in household devices, mostly space heaters and cooking, account for 18 percent of Beijing's total consumption of energy, but contribute to 50 percent of black carbon particles and 69 percent of organic carbon particles.

Zhu said Beijing has changed its household fuel use from coal to natural gas within the fourth ring road, but the city's suburban districts and villages still mainly use coal and biomass that worsen air pollution, especially in the winter heating season.

The quality of the coal is poor and there is no control on its use, he added.

Inefficient burning of fuel and lack of emission treatment means households contribute significantly to the primary particles and concentrations of sulfur dioxide in the air.

The study showed that soot particles released by the residential sector surpass total emissions from transportation and power plants.

"Our findings also show that household use of energy is a key source of indoor air pollution, which causes no less hazard to people than outdoor air pollution," it said.

Data analysis showed that control of household emissions in Beijing can reduce the intensity of PM2.5, airborne particles measuring less than 2.5 microns, by 20 percent. If Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province, three regions currently under integrated development, adopt the same measures, PM2.5 pollutants will drop by 40 percent in Beijing and an average of 36 percent for the three regions.

China's fight against air pollution has mostly focused on coal-fired power plants, transportation and industries.

Zhu urged the government to pay more attention to polluting emissions from households, and to replace coal-based cooking in rural areas with natural gas or electricity.