Research Reveals Firelighters and Power Plants as Big Contributors to Pollution

Usage of firelighters might pose a greater threat than using biomass fires, reveals a research paper co-authored by Aditya Vaishya, Assistant Professor, Ahmedabad University, along with researchers from Ireland, China, and India. Another research, co-authored by Professor Vaishya and propelled by IIT Madras, quantified the impact of emissions from coal-fired power plants on climate. These researches, published in npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, a reputed international peer-reviewed journal, have attracted national and international media attention for their unique and important findings.

The first publication, ‘Air quality—climate forcing double whammy from domestic firelighters,’ discussed how renewable biomass, despite being essential for switching to eco-friendly heating, can harm local air quality. There is an increase in the use of solid-fuel heaters in homes. However, researchers found that lighting these heaters with firelighters creates a strong pollution event. This combination of smoke and black carbon from the firelighters adds to air pollution, affecting the climate. The research further promotes alternatives to using firelighters to light solid biomass fires for heating.

The second publication, ‘Rapid growth and high cloud-forming potential of anthropogenic sulfate aerosol in a thermal power plant plume during COVID lockdown in India,’ studied pollution from various sources in India because the air was cleaner. The research focused on emissions from power plants, industries, and vehicles, considering a specific event. Particles formed in the smoke from a coal-fired power plant in Southern India proliferated and became very good at forming clouds, highlighting how different sources of pollution affect the climate. This research aims at understanding how to reduce pollution and its impact on the environment in the future.