The emissions of the catering industry are important sources of air pollution in megacities in China. A total of 41 restaurants in Beijing were selected as the sampling sites to evaluate the contribution of the catering industry to megacity air pollution. The original emissions load of cooking fume, particulate matter, and non-methane hydrocarbon (NMHC) were studied via field tests for different types of restaurants. The results showed that the cooking fume, particulate matter, and NMHCs generated from the kitchen were 1.93, 6.6, and 10.9 mg·m-3, respectively. An evaluation method based on working days was developed. Considering the total number of restaurants in Beijing, the original emission loads of 2019 were calculated. The cooking fume, particulate matter, and NMHC emissions were 5512, 18849, and 6169 t, respectively. The Pearson numbers of the cooking fume emission and particular matter emission from Sichuan and Hunan cuisine, Roast Duck, Grill and Barbecue, and Chinese Home-Style cuisine were all above 0.6, which indicated a high level of correlation between the cooking fume emission and particular matter emission. Notably, the Pearson numbers of Sichuan and Hunan cuisine and Roast Duck were both higher than 0.8, which indicates a strong correlation between the cooking fume emission and particular matter emission.
Keywords: catering industry; cooking fume; correlation; non-methane hydrocarbon (NMHC); original emission load; particulate matter.