[Stoves] Biomass stove pollution in UK

[Nikhil Desai]

Crispin asks, "Do you find it humorous that those waving the flags of alarm
favour ending the use of fossil fuels are also promoting the expanded use
of LPG? And the burning of renewable biofuels?"

I can't think of such people. I have known some Eurofreaks opposing lifting
of import tariffs on LPG in Africa.  As for the burning of renewable
biomass, again some Eurofreaks have said that the Dutch funding of improved
stoves is not climate-focused because biomass is carbon-neutral.

Kirk Smith declared that "If one were to put carbon in the atmosphere
anyway, CO2 is the least harmful from both the climate and health points of
view." He meant the high GWP of biomass PICs, which in turn meant that not
only was biomass as "traditionally" burned (unprocessed fuel, uncontrolled
TSF) was NOT carbon neutral, LPG was superior from both GWP per meal and
air pollution (however summed) per meal.

That gave him the courage and confidence to write In Praise of Petroleum
<http://www.kirkrsmith.org/publications/2002/12/06/in-praise-of-petroleum>
(2002)
and later The Petroleum Product That Can Save Millions Of Lives Each Year
<https://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2014/05/27/the-petroleum-product-that-can-save-millions-of-lives-each-year/#6d870a19769f>
(2014),
specifically for LPG. He had laid out the basic rationale for gas cooking
in 1989, and rightly so.

Forget his assumptions for methodical killing and salvation of "millions";
he affirmed the hollowness of biomass argument of "renewability" or "carbon
neutrality".

Not all fossil fuels are alike. And each can be used in a myriad of ways,
with emissions vented or contained.

LPG is among the most versatile of fuels with the most varied applications
in varied sizes. Probably the best. From power plants in Japan to lighting
in Vanuatu to water heaters, cigarette lighters, fuel cells, space heaters,
and refrigerators and chillers.

Because of this, I support area gasification as much as area
electrification. Both gas and electricity can come from biomass; I don't
care if it is locally renewable.

Nikhil

On Nov 18, 2018, at 5:52 PM, Crispin Pemberton-Pigott <
crispinpigott at outlook.com> wrote:

Re : stoves emit ten times as much PM as a diesel truck:
And 60 to 100 times as much as a diesel-engined car.
Of course they are relating the emissions to the fuel in both cases so the
comparison is not valid, but I take their point.
Changing the hardware to those stoves demonstrated last week in Washington
on The Mall would dramatically reduce the emissions from burning wood.
Do you find it humorous that those waving the flags of alarm favour ending
the use of fossil fuels are also promoting the expanded use of LPG? And the
burning of renewable biofuels?
In the meantime, wood burning tinkerers are doing better than ever at
reducing emissions. ‎ Good on y'all.

Crispin
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.bioenergylists.org/pipermail/stoves_lists.bioenergylists.org/attachments/20181124/cef68d93/attachment.html>