A Comparative Study of Stack Emissions from Straight-Line and Zigzag Brick Kilns in Nepal

• Published in: Atmosphere Vol. 10; no. 3; p. 107
• Main Authors: Nepal, Sangeet, Mahapatra, Parth, Adhikari, Sagar, Shrestha, Sujan, Sharma, Prakash, Shrestha, Kundan, Pradhan, Bidya, Puppala, Siva
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.03.2019
• Subjects: Air pollution; Biodiesel fuels; Black carbon; brick kiln; Carbon; Carbon dioxide; Carbon dioxide concentration; Coal; Comparative analysis; Comparative studies; Emission analysis; emission factor; Emission inventories; Emission measurements; Emissions; Emissions control; Environmental science; Fuels; gaseous pollutant; Kilns; Mass balance; Particulate emissions; Particulate matter; Particulate matter emissions; particulate pollutants; Pollutants; Procedures; South Asia; Stack emissions; Sulfur; Sulfur dioxide; Sulphur; Sulphur dioxide; Suspended particulate matter; Bangladesh; United States > US; Nepal; India
• ISSN: 2073-4433; 2073-4433
• DOI: 10.3390/atmos10030107

Nepal has approximately 1000 operational brick kilns, which contribute significantly to ambient air pollution. They also account for 1.81% of the total bricks produced in the South Asian region. Little is known about their emissions, which are consequently not represented in regional/global emission inventories. This study compared emissions from seven brick kilns. Four were Fixed Chimney Bull’s Trench Kilns (FCBTKs) and three were Induced-Draught Zigzag Kilns (IDZKs). The concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), black carbon (BC), and particulate matter (PM) with a diameter less than 2.5 µm (PM2.5) were measured. The respective emission factors (EFs) were estimated using the carbon mass balance method. The average fuel-based EF for CO2, SO2, PM2.5, and BC were estimated as 1633 ± 134, 22 ± 22, 3.8 ± 2.6 and 0.6 ± 0.2 g per kg, respectively, for all FCBTKs. Those for IDZKs were 1981 ± 232, 24 ± 22, 3.1 ± 1, and 0.4 ± 0.2 g per kg, respectively. Overall, the study found that converting the technology from straight-line kilns to zigzag kilns can reduce PM2.5 emissions by ~20% and BC emissions by ~30%, based on emission factor estimates of per kilogram of fuel. While considering per kilogram of fired brick, emission reductions were approximately 40% for PM2.5 and 55% for BC, but this definitely depends on proper stacking and firing procedures.