Emissions of Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by savanna fires

Although Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are known as anthropogenic compounds arising from the combustion or the pyrolysis of fossil fuels, they may be also emitted by the combustion of vegetation. A field study was carried out in January 1991 at Lamto (Ivory Coast) as part of the FOS DECAFE experiment (Fire Of Savanna). Some ground samplings were devoted to the qualitative and quantitative characterization of atmospheric emissions by savanna fires during prescribed burns and under background conditions. Specific collections for gaseous and particulate PAHs have shown that the African practice of burning the savanna biomass during the winter months is an important source of PAHs. These compounds are emitted mainly in gaseous form but a significant fraction, essentially heavy PAHs, is associated with fine carbonaceous particles and can therefore represent a hazard for human health, since some of these compounds are mutagenic and carcinogenic. Twelve compounds were identified during the fire episodes and in the atmospheric background. The total concentration in the fires is of the order of 10 ng m^–3 for the gas phase and from 0.1 to 1 ng m^–3 in the aerosols. In the atmospheric background the mean concentrations are regular, 0.15 ng m^–3 and 2 pg m^–3, respectively. These concentrations are comparable with what is observed in European rural zones. The particulate emissions of PAHs by the savanna fires are distinguished by the abundance of some compounds which can be considered as tracers, although they are also slightly emitted by fossil fuel sources. These compounds are essentially pyrene, chrysene and coronene. In the gas phase, although no individual PAH may be considered as specific of the biomass combustion emissions, the relative abundances of the main PAHs are characteristic of the biomass burning. The concentrations of pyrene and fluorene are always predominant; these compounds could be considered as characteristic emission products of smoldering and flaming episodes, respectively. In the background the PAH composition shows that in a tropical region the air consists of a mixture coming from the various sources, but the biomass combustion is by far the most important source.The fluxes of total PAH emitted by savanna biomass burning in Africa were estimated to be of the order of 17 and 600 ton yr^–1, respectively, for the particulate PAHs and the gaseous PAHs, respectively.