Fire emissions into the atmosphere

The amount of various pollutants per year emitted into the atmosphere from fires in Sweden is estimated. The pollutants considered in detail are CO2 CO, HCN, NOx SO2, HCl, unburned hydrocarbons, and particulate matter. The emission of N2O, aromatic hydrocarbons, dioxins, and heavy metals, is discussed qualitatively. The estimate is based on the number of fires in buildings and vehicles in Sweden a typical year. Emissions from wildfires have not been included. The results indicate that the amount of combustible material consumed by fire each year is approximately 12 kton, although it should be noted that during certain years, industrial fires may innate this number. The emission of particulate matter and unburned hydrocarbons is approximately equivalent to that expected from the combustion of 2 Mton of solid fuel in a combustion plant, corresponding to energy production of approximately 15 TWh, which is of the same order of magnitude as that expected from heavy transport in Sweden each year. The emission of the other species studied is negligible relative to other sources. Measurements of species that have not been studied in detail (such as dioxins) under realistic conditions are necessary for determining the amount of these species emitted per year.