Pollution Reduction Potential By Implementing Electrostatic Dust Precipitators On Mongolian Small-Scale Stoves (A Pilot Study In Ulaanbaatar)

GEOGRAPHY ENVIRONMENT SUSTAINABILITY, vol. 13, pp. 117–128

Abstract

The Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatarexperiences some of the world’s worst air pollution during the winter months, most of it being caused by small coal- and wood-fired stoves which are used for heating and cooking purposes in peri-urban parts of the city. A recent pilot study in Songinokhairkhan District of Ulaanbaatar City evaluated the feasibility of electrostatic dust precipitators (ESP) for reducing particulate matter (PM) emissions from small stoves. This paper focuses on the pollution reduction potentials that would result from a large-scale implementation of ESPs. Using a locally developed low- cost ESP system (which is currently in the process of further improvement), reduction rates ranging between 10 to 50% of the PM emissions (depending on the fuel and combustion conditions) could be achieved. Fitting all or at least a major fraction of the small stoves with such ESPs could reduce PM emissions by an order of several thousand tons per heating season for the whole city. The avoided particle emissions would simultaneously prevent atmospheric pollution by various trace metals and metalloids including As, Cd, Pb and Zn, which are known to be major soil and water pollutants locally, and several other toxic substances. However, this also means that safe disposal strategies must be developed for the fly ash precipitated during ESP operation.

Authors 5

1. Daniel Karthe
   Affiliation as printed

   German-Mongolian Institute for Resources and Technology

2. Tim Hafer Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   RWTH Aachen University; German-Mongolian Institute for Resources and Technology

   RWTH Aachen University

3. Byambasuren Battulga

   Mongolian University of Science and Technology

   Affiliation as printed

   Mongolian University of Science and Technology; German-Mongolian Institute for Resources and Technology

   Mongolian University of Science and Technology

4. Sereeter Lodoysamba
   Affiliation as printed

   German-Mongolian Institute for Resources and Technology

5. Gunther C. Stehr
   Affiliation as printed

   Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft; German-Mongolian Institute for Resources and Technology