Considerable concern has been raised over the possible urban air pollution impacts arising from the widespread installation and use of biomass boilers.

It is therefore essential that we begin to quantify the PM arising from biomass in London and track the changes in the PM coming from this source.

London is not alone in having concerns about PM from biomass burning; this source is also very important in Scandinavia and in alpine areas of Europe where wood burning is routinely used for residential space heating. In Norway a method for the quantification of PM10 from wood burning has determined that around 25% of the PM10 emitted in Oslo arises from small scale wood combustion. This work measured ambient concentrations of levoglucosan, a tracer specific to the combustion of cellulose from wood and paper based fuels.

Working closely with the Norwegian Institute for Air Research and the London boroughs of Greenwich and Bexley we have instigated a short - term levoglucosan measurement campaign for London to establish a baseline concentration that would in turn be related to emission inventory emissions of other pollutants. This short-term survey may then be repeated in future years to determine changes in biomass burning in London. Sampling will take place during January and February 2009.

Item date 22/01/2009