Preliminary study on the pollutant emissions of wood-fired pizza ovens

Biomass combustion contributes the emission of several major air pollutants, including methane, carbon dioxide (CO₂), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrous oxides (NOₓ), sulphur dioxide (SO₂), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) [1]. Wood combustion is also a significant source of fine particulate matter (PM), which is the fraction that poses the most severe threat to human health [2]. In fact, studies based on epidemiological data estimate that the contribution of biomass smoke to premature mortality in Europe amounts to at least 40,000 deaths per year [1]. In this regard, the European Commission is tackling the problem by introducing source-specific emission standards for biomass combustion. Specifically, in the Ecodesign Directive (EDD) sets emission limits targeting small-scale domestic appliances for PM, organic gaseous compounds (OGC), CO and NOₓ [3]. Despite the efforts of international institutions towards tackling the problem, no standards or regulations currently exist regarding wood-fired ovens. Moreover, very few literature data exists on the emissions of this source and this work aims to start filling this gap.