Characteristics of condensable particulate matter discharging from a one-dimensional flame furnace firing lignite

•A stable source of actual flue gas containing CPM was established in the laboratory.•Characteristics of CPM derived from the combustion of a lignite were explored.•Inorganic and organic components in CPM were explored.•Balance analysis on inorganic components of CPM was conducted.•In-situ condensed CPM particles were observed through SEM. Condensable particulate matter (CPM) is an important component of primary particulate matter emitted from fuel-fired stationary sources into the atmosphere. Previous studies relating to CPM were generally carried out in actual industrial sites and rarely performed in the laboratory. This work may be the first attempt to explore the characteristics of CPM in actual flue gas from bench-scale combustion equipment. Stably generating actual flue gas containing CPM in a small flow rate is challenging, and this work successfully achieved it through building a one-dimensional coal combustion system. Through the combustion of lignite in the system, the characteristic of CPM (including emission concentration and inorganic and organic components) and the effects of combustion condition and sampling temperature on the characteristics were explored. Relevant findings and conclusions are similar to those found in actual stationary sources. Moreover, droplet- and fragment-shaped condensed CPM particles were observed through scanning electron microscopy, which provides the visual imaging information of CPM. The experimental methodology and the valuable data can provide references for future works on CPM, especially for mechanism studies on reduction research.