[Stoves] measuring soot particle load in kitchen

[frank at compostlab.com]

Dear Andrew, 

Not sure if these procedures give the info you want. 
 
There are two methods I would like to try. Both procedures pull an air sample
through a filter paper for a fixed amount of time and fixed rate. Usually
located on the shoulder of a person walking around the room to simulate what
that person is likely breathing. 

The first procedure uses a glass fiber filter that, once the time is up, the
paper is rolled up and carbon and nitrogen determined using a Leco C/N
analyzer. I use this glass fiber paper method for measuring non-soluble
nitrogen (organic nitrogen) so I know it can work. 

The second method is using a mixed cellulose ester (MCE) paper. This procedure
is used for counting air asbestos fiber. I have counted a lot of them in the
past. Problem at that time was deciding if the particle I am looking at is a
fiber or a particle. Sometimes I would see a lot of particles and, looking
back, wonder if they were from a wood stove(?) Its also is an interesting
procedure. You take the filter (MCE) and remove a quarter of it for counting
and place it on a slide.  On a hot plate you have a small (~100 mls) glass
flask equipped with a one-hole stopper and a glass tube shaped like a candy
cane long end stuck into it. The flask has a small amount of acetone. Wait for
that to boil and vapors are coming down out the 'candy cane' and then wave the
filter on the slide under it and an amazing thing happens: The filter turns
clear. All the particles are embedded into the filter and all features of the
microscope can be used. Cross polars to determine if the particles are crystal
like and like plants cells (they will glow)or glass,resin,tar oil like that
will dissapear -non crystal Forgot the real term; perhaps anistotropic?. 
Then you have phase contrast help where the phase rings on the microscope will
enhance the non crystal particles that are hard to see when looking at them
while looking directly into the light. So i think we may be able to get a lot
of info from this system.  If the particles are crystal like, count, size,
shape etc. All using 400 power. 


You will get more info for this second procedure from the link below. 


http://www.osha.gov/dts/sltc/methods/inorganic/id160/id160.html

Frank





n Sat, 08 Dec 2007 14:42:17 +0000, AJH wrote
> This is probably one that Tami will know about but all answers are
> welcome for this question I received in a personal e-mail:
> 
> "I am working on a solar oven project in Senegal and am looking to 
> use "sticky paper" to measure the amount of carbon emitted by cook stoves
> in household's kitchen.
> 
> Unfortunately, I only know that reflectology labs can use this paper
> to measure the amount of carbon absorbed, do you know more 
> information about this product? I would really appreciate any 
> information you may be able to supply."
> 
> I have only been aware of this used in a school experiment to see 
> soot deposition on tree bark. Presumably the reflectology is a means 
> to give a scientific measure to the number of soot particles picked 
> up when the sticky tape is used (much in the same way we see detectives
> lifting a fingerprint that has been highlighted by dusting onto a
> sticky tape on tv fiction shows).
> 
> What's the method, clean a horizontal smooth surface, run the stove
> and then test with sticky tape?
> 
> AJH
> 
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--
Frank Shields
Soil Control Lab
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Watsonville, CA  95076
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