Gridded Emissions of CO, NOx, SO2, CO2, NH3, HCl, CH4, PM2.5, PM10, BC, and NMVOC from Open Municipal Waste Burning in India

Abstract

Accurate emission inventories serve as critical inputs for air quality and climate models but are poorly constrained over India. We present a new municipal open waste burning emission inventory from India (OWBEII), at a resolution of 0.1° × 0.1°. Out of the 216 (201–232) Tg y–1 of waste produced in the year 2015, 68 (45–105) Tg y–1 was burned in the open. To determine emissions from waste burning, emission factors of 59 non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs), CH4, CO2, CO, and NOx were measured from garbage fires in rural and urban sites in India. The NMVOC emissions from open waste burning of 1.4–2 Tg y–1 increase India’s total anthropogenic NMVOC budget by 8–12%, while BC emissions (40–110 Ggy–1) increase the total anthropogenic BC emissions by 8–12%. Open waste burning in India emits 3–7 Tg y–1 of CO and 58–130 Tg y–1 of CO2. Emissions increase the total anthropogenic CO and CO2 in the MIX-Asia inventory by 4–11% and 2–6%, respectively. Open waste burning may affect atmospheric OH reactivity and ozone formation rates downwind of urban centers through the emission of other highly reactive compounds such as acetaldehyde (20–320 Gg y–1), propene (50–170 Gg y–1), and ethene (50–190 Gg y–1) and is s source of carcinogenic benzene (30–280 Gg y–1).