Fine and ultrafine particle emissions from microwave popcorn: Fid-Bau Portal

Fine and ultrafine particle emissions from microwave popcorn

Zhang, Q. / Avalos, J. / Zhu, Y.

This study characterized fine (PM_2.5) and ultrafine particle (UFP, diameter < 100 nm) emissions from microwave popcorn and analyzed influential factors. Each pre‐packed popcorn bag was cooked in a microwave oven enclosed in a stainless steel chamber for 3 min. The number concentration and size distribution of UFPs and PM_2.5 mass concentration were measured inside the chamber repeatedly for five different flavors under four increasing power settings using either the foil‐lined original package or a brown paper bag. UFPs and PM_2.5 generated by microwaving popcorn were 150–560 and 350–800 times higher than the emissions from microwaving water, respectively. About 90% of the total particles emitted were in the ultrafine size range. The emitted PM concentrations varied significantly with flavor. Replacing the foil‐lined original package with a brown paper bag significantly reduced the peak concentration by 24–87% for total particle number and 36–70% for PM_2.5. A positive relationship was observed between both UFP number and PM_2.5 mass and power setting. The emission rates of microwave popcorn ranged from 1.9 × 10¹⁰ to 8.0 × 10¹⁰ No./min for total particle number and from 134 to 249 μg/min for PM_2.5.