Abstract

Combustion of residual wastes from agriculture represents a main source of combustion gases, for example carbon dioxide (CO2) which is the major cause of global warming and its concentration drastically increased in last years, carbon monoxide (CO) which is a toxic because it reacts with hemoglobin and displaces oxygen in the blood and nitrogen oxides (NOX) which are act as indirect greenhouse gases by producing the tropospheric greenhouse gas ozone via photochemical reactions in the atmosphere. This study has the objective of determine the emission factor (EF) of CO2, CO and NOX of burning of residual wastes from corn, rice, sorghum and wheat to 0% of moisture with a TESTO 350-XL emission analyzer in a controlled combustion chamber (3CE). On line measurements allowed to quantify the emissions in pre-ignition, flaming and smoldering and estimated the contribution of each phase. The highest CO2 and NOX concentrations were quantified during flaming phase whereas the highest CO concentrations were in smoldering phase. EF of CO2 and NOX of residual wastes were statically equals and CO was different (ANOVA, α=0.05). EF of CO2 were generally reproducible (C.V<16%) and higher and more variable factors were found EF for CO and NOX. These results of EF let to obtain less uncertain emission inventories of combustion gases from residual wastes of corn, rice, sorghum and wheat of Mexican species and they make public politics to reduce emissions from agriculture.