On November 4, 2024, the experimental activity of the MIND-BB project (air quality and health risk Measured IN Domestic Biomass Burning heating devices) within the European project ATMO-ACCESS began at the CEAM (Mediterranean Center for Environmental Studies) in Valencia, Spain. The MIND-BB project was the winner among the projects selected within the 5th call for Trans-National Access, thus being able to take advantage of the opportunity to access the CEAM laboratories, one of over 50 European atmospheric research infrastructures participating in the ATMO-ACCESS project.
The campaign is carried out inside the EUPHORE outdoor simulation chamber, which allows to simulate almost real atmospheric conditions, due to its large size and the possibility of using natural light thanks to its Teflon covering, thus simulating both day and night conditions. During this campaign, the physical and chemical atmospheric processes of biomass combustion (BB Biomass Burning) emitted by different domestic heating devices, one of the main sources of primary emissions of atmospheric particulate matter, will be investigated, evaluating its impact on human lung cells. The experimental measurement activity, lasting three weeks, will see the synergy of ENEA, CEAM and the University of Milano-Bicocca.
Biomass combustion represents a growing topic due to its impact on air pollution, health and climate change, which cause 2.3 million premature deaths per year globally.
The MIND-BB project involves the analysis of primary gaseous and particulate emissions inside the EUPHORE chamber so as to define the emission factors per mass of different types of fuel and, through the exposure of lung epithelial cells, evaluate the toxicological risk of pollutants in the gaseous and particulate phase with an estimate of the risk of inhaling emissions.
The results of this activity will offer a more complete picture of the impact of BB, contributing to improving knowledge relating to the estimation of emissions, its toxicological risks and its contribution to air quality models.
