Overview of fumes from woodstoves
Biomass, such as logs, wood pellets etc, may be a renewable fuel, but unfortunately burning it still results in pollution which gives rise to local air quality problems. The main concern is fine and ultrafine particles which can travel deep into the lungs where they can cause irritation and even cancer.
It is important to bear in mind that domestic wood stoves and boilers are very simple, and that is how people like them so that they can be relied upon to heat their homes even if there is a power failure. Another consideration is that it is impossible to stipulate exactly what fuel goes into them or how they are operated or maintained. For these reasons, technologies which rely on an electrical power supply to reduce emissions are not appropriate.