Air pollutant emission factors from wood-fired pizza ovens

Wood combustion is a well-known source of harmful gaseous air pollutants and particulate matter. As a result, emissions from various wood-burning appliances, such as small-scale residential heating and cooking devices, are regulated. However, similar appliances, such as wood-fired ovens used in pizzerias, are not subject to the same regulations, leaving the sector largely unstandardized. Additionally, there is a lack of experimental studies evaluating the emission profiles of these devices, making their impact on air pollution and air quality uncertain. This study assesses the emission profile of three wood-fired pizza ovens burning both beechwood logs and briquettes. Emissions of NOx, CO, OGC, TSP, PM10, PM2.5, and PAHs were tested across all key operational phases of the ovens, and emission factors were calculated by accounting for each phase's contribution to typical oven management (NOx: 85 ± 3 g GJ−1; CO: 1038 ± 59 g GJ−1; OGC: 71 ± 10 g GJ−1; TSP: 233 ± 21 g GJ−1; PM10: 162 ± 16 g GJ−1; PM2.5: 157 ± 16 g GJ−1; ∑PAHs: 1482 ± 883 mg GJ−1). Statistical analysis revealed a significant influence of oven type and operational phase on emissions, emphasizing the critical role of the baking process together with wood combustion in defining the emission profile of these devices. Hence, emission factors were calculated for each pollutant, which more accurately represent the actual emissions of these devices, as opposed to the emission factors of manually operated wood boilers, which are currently used as proxies for wood-fired ovens in the European emission inventory. Their use is thus proposed for updating the emission inventories.