PAH emission from the open burning of agricultural debris.

The procedure for and results of a test study of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission from the open burning of agricultural debris are discussed. For the investigation of open burning its simulation with emission sampling and analysis were applied. Further investigations also included observations of real instances of the open burning of wastes and collection of data on the structure and volume of combustible material. It was concluded that the open burning of agricultural wastes resulted in significant amounts of PAHs, but mainly the low molecular weight species (naphthalene, acenaphthylene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, etc.).