First Advisor

Elliott Gall

Term of Graduation

Summer 2026

Date of Publication

8-4-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.) in Mechanical Engineering

Department

Mechanical and Materials Engineering

Language

English

Subjects

cooking emissions, indoor air quality, natural gas stoves

Physical Description

1 online resource (ix, 78 pages)

Abstract

Humans spend ∼90% of their time enclosed in buildings. Indoors environments can be a source of pollutant which can affect health and productivity. Appliances that combust fossil fuels indoors, like stoves, are a critical source of a range of pollutants, like carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). In the US, the usual cooking fuel is natural gas (NG), presented in more than 30% of households in the country. Some studies in the literature linked cooking pollutants, including those specific to gas combustion, to various health conditions, including heart and respiratory diseases. Nitrogen dioxide, for example, can be related to the increased incidence and exacerbation of pediatric asthma, including incidence of on the order of 200,000 cases per year due to gas combustion alone.

Source control is generally the preferred approach to addressing a source of environmental pollution, and exchange of gas stoves for induction stoves can be a solution to indoor air pollution from stoves. However, the transition to an electric stove can be costly and difficult to implement, especially in low-income households where infrastructure and ownership structures create roadblocks. A "portable" or countertop induction cooktop may be an option to overcome barriers to full stove changeout, as they require only a standard electrical outlet. Following this, there is increasing interest in the public health in encouraging large-scale transitions from gas to electric alternatives, chiefly induction stoves.

On this project, we measured time-resolved concentrations, emission rates and emission factors of oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), size-resolved particulate matter from natural gas and induction cooktops in seven households in the Portland, OR metropolitan area, during controlled cooking events. Using mass-balance, we estimated emission rates and emission factors of oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2), while Modified Combustion Efficiency (MCE) was evaluated to assess combustion performance. Finally, we model exposure for an average american kitchen size (43 m3) using the average emission rates obtained in the experiments.

Our results indicated that there were significant emissions of NO and NO2 during gas stoves use while portable induction cooktops emitted no observable NO and NO2. In contrast, gas stoves caused rapid pollutants. Peak NO2 concentrations reached 158 ppb, exceeding the World Health Organization 1-hour guideline value of 100 ppb. NOX emission rates and emission factors generally increased with burner setting. Carbon monoxide concentrations were higher for low burner setting in the majority of the houses, corresponding to lower MCE values and suggesting less complete combustion under these conditions.

Our findings highlight the potential for exposure to oxides of nitrogen and carbon monoxide due to gas stove cooking. Induction stoves can be a possible replacement for gas stoves as an effective strategy to reduce indoor exposures associated with residential cooking.

Rights

In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/45142

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