Coal is still an important source of energy for domestic heating in Central and Eastern Europe due to its low price and good availability, and the burning of coal in small domestic heating appliances, such as boilers and stoves, is a major contributor to local air pollution in countries such as Poland and the Czech Republic. The high level of pollution in these regions lead to a high health burden.

Little information is available on the chemical composition of emissions from lignite combustion in domestic appliances, especially the organic aerosol fraction. Therefore, we apply a number of common and novel custom techniques to gain deeper insights into the chemical composition of emissions from brown coal combustion.