Impact of oxidizing honeycomb catalysts integrated in firewood stoves on emissions under real-life operating conditions

Catalytic systems integrated in firewood stoves represent a secondary measure for emission reduction. This study evaluates the impact on emissions of two types of honeycomb catalysts integrated in different firewood stoves. The tests were conducted under real-life related testing conditions. The pressure drop induced by the catalyst's carrier geometry affects primary combustion conditions which can influence the emissions. A negative primary effect reduces the catalytic efficiency and has to be considered for developing catalyst integrated solutions. However, a significant net emission reduction was observed. The ceramic catalyst reduced CO emissions by 83%. The metallic catalyst reduced CO emissions by 93% which was significantly better compared to the ceramic catalyst. The net emission reduction of OGC (~30%) and PM (~20%) was similar for both types of catalysts. In most cases, the “Ecodesign” emission limit values, which will enter into force in 2022 for new stoves, were met although the ignition and preheating batches were respected. PM emission composition showed a lower share of elemental (EC) and organic carbon (OC) with integrated catalyst. However, no selectivity towards more reduction of EC or OC was observed. Further investigations should evaluate the long term stability under real-life operation in the field and the effect of the catalyst on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emissions.