Modelling PM sub(10) Aerosol Data from the Qalabotjha Low-Smoke Fuels Macro-Scale Experiment in South Africa

In 1997, a macroscale experiment was conducted in Qalabotjha, South Africa, to test three brands of low-smoke fuels. Technical, health, and social benefits derived from using low-smoke fuels versus regular D-grade residential coal were compared. In this study, the PM sub(10) measurement data derived from the study are examined in terms of the diurnal variations, and an empirical model for PM sub(10) is proposed. The data show that average daily PM sub(10) concentrations varied by up to tenfold during the 30-d study. As the use of low-smoke fuels increased, significant decreases in PM sub(10) concentrations were observed. The empirical model, which considers the smoke emission factor of the fuel, the wind speed, the wind direction, and the proximity, size, and dispersion properties of the provenance, shows that moderate to high winds, as well as the combustion of low-smoke fuels, improve the ambient-air quality.