Environmentally friendly particle separator for firewood single-room heating appliances (DE-UZ 222)

Even if it is carried out in a proper manner, heating with wood causes significantly more air pollutant emissions than other energy sources such as heating oil or natural gas. It can result, therefore, in higher levels of particulate matter and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) in the air in residential areas – especially if a lot of wood-burning stoves and fireplaces are operated at the same time during colder months in combination with weather conditions causing inversion or if the wood-burning stoves are located in valleys and basins. In particular, manually fuelled log firing systems (log-burning stoves) also emit soot (as a component of the particulate matter). Alongside its negative effect on human health, soot also has a very high global warming potential. Against this background, a reduction in the emissions of particulate matter caused by, amongst other things, the operation of log firing systems is an important environmental goal. Particle separators can be fitted to wood-burning stoves to reduce the particulate matter produced during the burning of the wood and thus significantly decrease the amount of particulate matter that is particularly harmful to health.

The primary objective of the new environmental label for “particle separators” is to improve air quality by contributing to a reduction in the emissions of particulate matter from manually fuelled log firing systems. The certified devices reduce particulate matter emissions to a much greater extent and more reliably than conventional particle separators. In addition to the statutory regulations for building approval tests for particle separators, the special requirements imposed by the Blue Angel mean that certified particle separators have to comply with a significantly higher minimum separating efficiency and they must also be effective during the ignition phase that involves a particularly high level of emissions. The particle separators must have user-friendly additional functions that e.g. display the operating hours and indicate whether maintenance is required. Manufacturers are required to optimise the design and guarantee the provision of spare parts in the long term, while the criteria also help to improve the durability and reliability of the devices.

Particle separators certified with the Blue Angel are primarily recommended for reducing particulate matter emissions from existing log firing systems. This additional equipment is not recommended for new stoves because stoves with an optimally matched particle separator that comply with the Blue Angel criteria are available instead.