Effects of the Location of Heating Sources on Indoor Air Quality in Rural Buildings of Qingdao (China) in Winter as Determined by Experimental Monitoring

Abstract

In winter, many rural people in the coastal areas of northern China burn coal for both cooking and heating. As a result, the rural population is seriously affected by indoor air pollution. To analyze the influence of the location of heating sources on the air quality within rural buildings, 60 buildings with coal heating were surveyed and monitored using an Intelligent Built Environmental Monitor for eight days. In addition, four typical rural buildings with different locations of heating sources were selected for a transient analysis. The peak concentration of CO2 was 2869 ppm in House 1 with a coal-fired stove in the living room. The average particulate matter (PM) levels were 89 μg/m3, 150 μg/m3, and 182 μg/m3 for PM 1.0, PM 2.5, and PM 10, respectively, in House 2 where a stove was situated in a room adjacent to the living room. House 3, where stoves were in separate rooms, had PM 1.0, PM 2.5, and PM 10 values of 25 μg/m3, 39 μg/m3, and 49 μg/m3, respectively, and the lowest CO2 concentration (564 ppm) was found in House 4. The data collected showed that the CO2, PM 1.0, PM 2.5, and PM 10 concentrations within Houses 1 and 2 far exceeded the standard for indoor air quality. The findings suggested that coal-fired stoves, as a heating source, should be situated away from the living room and adjacent rooms, and this change would clearly reduce the concentrations of CO2 and particulate matter. Suitable courtyard ventilation was necessary for houses with two or more heating sources.