Assessment of air quality, health and climate co-benefit potential for residential cooking : a case study of a commune in Vietnam | |
| Author | Nguyen Hong Phuc |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.EV-12-13 |
| Subject(s) | Air quality--Vietnam Air--Pollution--Vietnam |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Environmental Engineering and Management |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | Solid fuels are still dominant in rural areas in Vietnam. The indoor air pollutants emitted from domestic combustion of such fuels can substantially contribute to the overall outdoor air pollution and climate change when they escape into outdoor environment. This study investigated the indoor air pollutant levels and potential health risk from residential cooking activities, and quantified the air quality and climate co-benefit of different fuel-cookstove technology scenarios. In LPG, wood, crop residue and coal-burning households, the 24-h average concentration of PM2.5, PM10 and CO ranged from 45-83 μg/m³, 118-201 μg/m³ and 0.1-9.7 ppm, respectively; and the average concentration of Benzene, Toluene, Ethyl-benzene, Xylene (BTEX) ranged, respectively, 1.6-224 μg/m³, 5.6-39 μg/m³, 1.2-12 μg/m³, 2-8.9 μg/m³ for cooking period; and 0.7-13 μg/m³, 6-17 μg/m³, 0.8-3.1 μg/m³ and 2.1-6.7 μg/m³ for non-cooking period. The BTEX levels obtained in this study were used to assess the potential health risk. For carcinogenic effect, the total cancer risk for primary cooks in LPG, wood, crop residue and coal-burning were 2.0x10-9, 7.2x10-8, 4.5x10-8, 7.3x10-7, respectively. All below 0.01 hence correspond to a low risk level. For non-carcinogenic effect, the hazard quotient values combining for BTEX was 0.2, 1.3, 2.3 and 17 in kitchens with LPG, crop residue, wood and coal-fuel, correspondingly. In Con Thoi commune, the emission per capita obtained for the current cooking fuel mixture of PM, SO₂, CO₂, CO, NOx, CH₄, N₂O, BC, OC and NMVOC were, respectively, 3, 0.1, 420, 30, 0.3, 1.5, 0.1, 0.4, 1.2 and 1.4 kg per year. The air pollutants and greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission inventory were 339 and 3,895 tonnes in Con Thoi commune in 2011, respectively. The corresponding values in the Red River Delta (RRD) constituted of 510 and 5,800 ktonnes, respectively. The air quality and climate co-benefits for residential cooking sector in RRD were analyzed and quantified according to four fuel-cookstove technology scenarios including base case, the crop residue (S1), the combination of crop residue and LPG (S2) and the LPG (S3) scenarios. Compared with base case scenario, the air pollutants and GHGs emission inventory in S1 scenario was increased by 9% and 3%, respectively. S2 scenarios had also increased in air pollutants emission (3%) while the GHGs emission reduced 1% by comparison with the base case. There was substantial emission reduction for both air pollutants and GHGs in S3 scenario at 98% on average. The total global warming contribution in CO₂ equivalent (CO₂eq) for base case, S1, S2 and S3 scenarios were 20, 21, 20 and 1 million tonnes. In 100-year horizon, the GWP would be 10, 11, 10 and 0.5 million tonnes of CO₂eq. Assuming CO₂ emitted in S1 and S2 scenarios would be taken by the next crop, the GWP in CO₂eq in S1 and S2 would be similar at 15 million tonnes for 20-year horizon; and 5 and 4 million tonnes, respectively, in 100-year horizon. |
| Year | 2012 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Energy and Climate Change (Former title: Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Change (DEECC)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Environmental Engineering and Management (EV) |
| Chairperson(s) | Nguyen, Thi Kim Oanh; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Visvanathan, C.;Preeda Pakpian; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Germany (DAAD);Asian Institute of Technology Fellowship; |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2012 |