Integrating emission factors of a wood-fired residential boiler into life cycle assessment

The increasing reliance on biomass for residential heating presents environmental benefits and challenges. Its combustion emits significant amounts of particulate matter (PM) and gaseous pollutants (CO 2 , CO, NO x , and organic gaseous emissions). Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is widely used to evaluate the environmental impacts of anthropogenic activities. Existing databases are useful in the macroscopic perspective of residential heating; however, the diversity of small-scale biomass combustion in various decentralized applications may affect life cycle impact assessment. This pioneer study investigates the influence of biomass types by measuring particle and gaseous emissions from a residential wood boiler. Pollutant-specific emission factors (EFs) of four biomass fuels, including wood chips and pellets made of hardwood and softwood, were determined and integrated into the LCA. The results reveal up to two-fold differences in key impact categories (particulate matter, ozone formation, and terrestrial acidification potential). This study points out the need to integrate region-specific data derived from real measurements within LCA frameworks to improve the applicability and support decision-making in sustainable residential heating.