Abstract

Gas emissions levels of NO, NO₂, SO₂, CO, and CO₂ from commonly used domestic fuel wood were investigated using Carbolite Muffler Furnace equipped with gas probes. Results after analysis showed gas levels in ppm in the range 0.1–29.6 for NO, 0.1–10.0 for NO₂, 1.2–21.0 for SO₂, 0–0.2 for CO, and 90–560 for CO₂. Analysis of the resulting wood ash showed metal levels in gkg^-1 in the range 2.16–10.37 for Ca, 0.29–1.58 for Mg, 1.04–3.53 for Zn, and 0.24–0.84 for Al. Compared to the recommended short term exposure limits, the observed gas levels of SO₂ and NO₂ indicate environmentally unfriendly nature of some of the commonly used domestic fuel wood and the possible risk of respiratory, pulmonary and carcinogenic diseases that could be associated with their regular usage. The wood ash composition suggests it could serve a friendly utilization as soil additive for agricultural purposes for soils whose compositions show deficiency of these metals.

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