A study for development of emission factors for trace gases and carbonaceous particulate species from in situ burning of wheat straw in agricultural fields in India

Abstract

Major crops subject to field burning of crop residue (FBCR) generated an estimated 284 Tg of residue in India, of which 40% was contributed by wheat in the year 2000. About 7.5% of this total generated wheat straw was subjected to on-site burning, that is expected to emit large amounts of trace gases and particulate matter (PM) to the atmosphere, whose country-specific estimates and emission factors (EFs) are presently not available. An in situ experiment for wheat straw burning was undertaken for developing India specific EFs. The EFs of CO₂, CH₄, CO, N₂O, NO_x, NO and NO₂ were found to be 1787±36, 3.6±2.7, 28.1±20.1, 0.74±0.46, 1.70±1.68, 0.78±0.71 and 0.56±0.47 g kg^-1, whereas those for organic carbon (OC), black carbon (BC) and total carbon (TC) were 0.3±0.1, 0.2±0.1, and 0.5±0.2 g kg^-1, respectively. Although these EFs have been generated from a single field experiment nevertheless they address important information gap on FBCR in the region. Further, the total emissions of CH₄, CO₂, CO, N₂O, NO_x, NO, NO₂, OC, BC and TC from wheat straw burning in India for the year 2000 was estimated as 68±51, 34435±682, 541±387, 14±9, 33±32, 15±14, 11±9, 6±2, 3±1 and 10±4 Gg, respectively.