An evaluation of the carbon balance technique for estimating emission factors and fuel consumption in forest fires

-Eighteen experimental fues were used to compare measured and calculated values for emission factors and fuel consumption to evaluate the carbon balance technique. The technique is based on a model for the emission factor of carbon dioxide, corrected for the production of other emissions, and which requires measurements of effluent concentrations and air volume in the plume. The maximum percent difference in values was about 15 percent. These differences followed the carbon balance percent differences closely, which indicates that field application of the technique should succeed to the extent that all carbon can be accounted for in sampling.