Biomass burning emission major sources of particulate pollution worldwide: Study

New Delhi: The high particulate pollution in Delhi during the winter is caused by Biomass burning emissions, as per the study by IIT Kanpur.

The study which was published in the Nature Geoscience magazine revealed that Delhi, one of the world’s most populated cities, experiences “severe haze events” caused by particulate pollution during winter, but the underlying pathways remain poorly understood.

The investigation also said the condensation of primary organic vapours from biomass burning is the leading cause of the observed growth.

“We estimate that this process is responsible for 70% of the total particle-number concentration during haze” the study informed.

“The sharp decrease in night-time temperatures and rapid increase in biomass-burning emissions drive these primary organic vapours out of equilibrium, resulting in their condensation and the growth of nanoparticles into sizes relevant for haze formation,” study said.

“The study becomes important as air pollution is responsible for 18% of the total annual premature deaths in India,” the professor said.

Professor Sachchida Nand Tripathi, from IIT Kanpur who was the principal investigator in the study,IIT said, “The uncontrolled biomass burning for residential heating and cooking in the Indo-Gangetic plain gives rise to ultrafine particles, affecting the health of 5% of the world’s population and impacting the regional climate.

Natural and anthropogenic biomass burning are among the major sources of particulate pollution worldwide that affects air quality, climate and human health.

The particle growth events occur systematically despite the unfavourable condition for new-particle formation, including the lack of photochemical production of low-volatility vapours and considerable loss of vapours under extremely polluted conditions.

This high impact of primary biomass-burning emissions on night-time nanoparticle growth is unique compared with most urban locations globally, where low-volatility vapours formed through oxidation during the day drive particle growth and haze formation.

“As uncontrolled biomass burning for residential heating and cooking is rife in the Indo–Gangetic plain, expecting this growth mechanism to be a source of ultrafine particles, affecting the health of 5% of the world’s population and impacting the regional climate” as per the study.

“Our work implies that regulating uncontrolled biomass-combustion emissions may help inhibit nocturnal haze formation and improve human health in India” it said.

The Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), IIT Delhi, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), Switzerland, and the University of Helsinki, Finland, all contributed to the study.