Nordica MacCarty, a mechanical engineering professor at Oregon State University, heads a highly dedicated team of researchers. As part of that effort, they’re working to make wood-burning stoves more efficient. Through the use of cutting-edge monitoring technologies, their goal is to provide detailed analysis, improve cookstove performance and validate impacts in rural Oregon homes. Wood-burning stoves are the largest single source of PM2.5 emissions in the contiguous United States. Their collective efforts continue to provide a multitude of benefits for environmental health and user safety.
Under this, in 2015, the standard for wood-burning stoves was an alarming 4 grams per hour of hazardous pollutants. But thanks to recent technologies, that number has plummeted to 2.5 grams per hour by 2020. MacCarty’s team is creating breakthrough technologies that have the potential to reduce those emissions by 95%. This historic win is perhaps the biggest step yet to win long overdue, cleaner air.
The Impact of Wood-Burning Stoves
Wood-burning stoves are now the third-largest source of particulate matter pollution in the U.S., behind wildfire smoke and agricultural dust. With nearly 10 million wood-burning stoves in the country, that works out to one stove for every 35 people. In rural areas, individuals frequently use these stoves for space heating and cooking. This is particularly the case for disadvantaged communities that lack a pathway to cleaner energy options.
As MacCarty’s research shows, the world can’t wait for better stove technology. Pollution from wood stoves is the single largest source of cancer-causing benzene, contributing to dangerous air quality violations that harm public health. PM2.5 particles have been linked to grave respiratory conditions and increased mortality. Cutting these harmful emissions is critical to the health of our community.
Advancements in Stove Design
Outside of the lab, MacCarty and her team are laser-focused on making progress by monitoring existing stoves. They’re hands on creating new prototypes that just work better. These designs integrate new technologies that improve combustion processes, enabling stoves to combust wood more completely and emit less smoke. The newest prototypes emit 95% less particulate matter than the oldest trucks.
The team’s goal goes beyond simply making better performing stoves for today’s consumers—they’re looking to solve global problems too. About 2.7 billion people around the world still use open fires for cooking, causing some of the highest levels of smoke exposure and related health risks. By developing clean cook stoves, MacCarty hopes to offer safer, cleaner options for these communities — all the while decreasing emissions worldwide.
Field Research and Community Engagement
So far, MacCarty’s team has installed monitoring equipment in the homes of over 300 wood stove users all across rural Oregon. Their ultimate goal is to inform industry and consumers about real-world stove performance. This hands-on approach gives researchers a better understanding of how different stoves actually perform in real-world use conditions. What we learn from all this data we will collect will help drive future technology development and enhancements.
By their unique collaboration with local communities, we know their research is actionable and directly helping the most vulnerable. By talking face-to-face with people who depend on wood-burning stoves, the team will get first-hand insight into the real-world needs and challenges of their users. This community-centered action research approach builds trust among stakeholders and increases the chances of successful implementation even further through stakeholder engagement with the new technology.