Are pellets an ecological fuel for heating the house? Although it is considered an eco-sustainable material, in reality the pellets used in stoves and other heating systems can seriously pollute the air we breathe. But how to choose the safest pellet for your health and the environment?
Thinking about stufe a pelletwe almost always take it for granted that it is a system ecological and sustainable to heat our homes. After all, pellets are a natural materialand is often made using waste from wood processing. A bit like nut shells, firewood and wood chips, it is a fuel biomassso what could possibly be more “green” than pellets?
In reality, things are not exactly like that. Like other biomass, pellets also polluteand it is for this reason that in many cases its use is prohibited.
In this article we want to find out how “ecological” the pellets are and what is the link between pellet stoves and the presence of fine dust in the home.
How polluting is home heating?
Notoriously, home heating is considered a polluting sector to say the least. It is estimated that stoves and fireplaces produce a large number of substances that are highly harmful to the environment, starting with PM10 fine particles and carbon dioxide or CO2.
But specifically, how much does the pellet stove pollute? And what is the impact of those little cylinders we use to fight the cold in winter?
Various researches have found that the co2 emissions from pellets they are relatively low, certainly much lower than those of other heating systems powered by fossil fuels. In fact, they hover around the 30 kg in CO2eq/MWh.
How much does the pellet stove pollute?
In general, these small cylinders made of sawdust or wood chips are considered a renewable and sustainable fuel.
However, it must be remembered that the combustion of this material is responsible for the emission of pollutants such as the aforementioned atmospheric particulates (PM10 e PM2.5), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (Nox) e dioxins.
This not only poses a risk to the health of people and animals, regularly exposed to high rates of domestic pollution, but also poses a major problem for the health of our planet.
The production of these and other greenhouse gases, in fact, does nothing but further damage air quality, fueling the problem of global warming and, consequently, accentuating the already serious climate changes.
What is the most eco-friendly pellet?
In light of what we have just seen, therefore, what could we do to heat our homes without polluting? The best thing to do, where possible, is certainly to take advantage of the passive thermal heatingusing the heat that comes from natural sources in an eco-intelligent way, starting with sole.
It is also important to invest in excellent insulating doors and windows, useful for preventing drafts and unnecessary heat loss.
Returning to the choice of the best pellet, however, we want to remember that the level of pollution of this fuel depends on at least two factors, namely the quality of stoves and fireplaces (these should be of new generation and subjected to regular maintenance) and from quality of the pellets.
The latter should belong to the category A1 (the highest and the one that offers the best energy yield), it should be low ash content and it should come from sustainably sourced wood.
Always choose a untreated pelletswhich is equipped with the necessary ones environmental sustainability certificationsin order to concretely reduce the levels of pollutants released into the air.
Sources
Source: www.greenstyle.it
