The human factor | Which barbecue pollutes the least?

Charcoal or propane? Every summer, the debate is revived around the flames of the barbecue. Let’s add a little fuel to the fire by adding an element to the gastronomic debate: the environmental factor.

Following the publication last week of an article on the carbon footprint of our plate, a reader wonders about cooking methods. “Gas barbecue, briquette barbecue, pellet smoker or wood fire when camping: which is less polluting? », asks Léonie Drolet.

Let us first point out that, unlike many African countries where wood-fired ovens are commonly used, barbecues have a negligible impact on overall Canadian greenhouse gas emissions.

To reduce our individual carbon footprint, moderating our transport will have more impact than giving up barbecues. And what we put on the grill – red meat, poultry or tofu – also weighs more heavily than the cooking method chosen.

Generally speaking, a propane barbecue emits less carbon and releases fewer fine particles into the air than one powered by charcoal or briquettes. However, there is little reliable comparative data and the results depend on several factors, including the duration of preheating the device and the origin of the charcoal used.

In 2009, Eric Johnson, an environmental consultant based in Switzerland, compared the carbon footprint of cooking with propane with that of charcoal. The conclusion of his study, published in Environmental Impact Assessment Review : a charcoal barbecue has a footprint around three times higher when you take into account emissions during cooking, fuel production, transport and manufacturing of the appliance. The gap widens if the charcoal does not come from a renewable forest and a fossil fuel is used to light it.

Read the study published in Environmental Impact Assessment Review (in English)

Furthermore, although charcoal is a natural fuel, resulting from a carbonization process, it often contains contaminants such as metal, plastic or charcoal.

But it has the potential to be carbon neutral, unlike propane, a non-renewable fossil fuel. “If the coal comes from a perennial forest, the CO emissions₂ net should be lower than with propane,” says, cautiously, Normand Mousseau, professor of physics at the University of Montreal and scientific director of the Trottier Energy Institute.

However, for coal to be considered carbon neutral, the trees that replace those that were cut down for its production must be able to capture as much CO₂ as the quantity that will be released. In reality, this objective is rarely achieved.

This also applies to the campfire mentioned by M^me Drolet. But, in both scenarios, wood combustion will nevertheless emit fine particles which, in high concentrations, can have effects on air quality and respiratory health.

For charcoal diehards, however, it is possible to choose products with reduced environmental repercussions. In Quebec, companies produce charcoal with local wood, including Maple Leaf, Basques Franc Wood Charcoal and Xylo-Carbone.

At Feuille d’érable, in the MRC of Portneuf, these are pieces of wood that cannot be transformed into lumber or hardwood, and therefore downgraded by the forestry industry, which are used. The wood comes from certified forests (FSC) for responsible management.

With the residue, the company also makes briquettes, popular for slow cooking at lower heat. “We grind the residue, add water and a food grade starch which acts as a binder,” explains the general director of Maple Leaf, Daniel Matte. This starch costs more, but is not harmful to health. » He adds that the company’s products do not contain any chemical additives. “We see a lot of briquettes on the market that contain fuel. »

More efficient devices

Another element that makes comparisons difficult: the efficiency of appliances has improved in recent years, notes Mike McNeice, director of public affairs for the Canadian Firepit, Patio and Barbecue Association (HPBAC).

In another study published in 2022, Eric Johnson highlights the variability in results between different propane barbecues. So the footprint of a super-efficient gas grill is half that of a conventional grill, even though it uses exactly the same fuel, the study notes.

It also looks at a recent market trend: that of wood pellet barbecues and smokers. Composed of wood residues, with a modest production footprint, they are more ecological than charcoal and propane, notes the study. But their claim of carbon neutrality is also criticized by some experts.

No offense to purists, from an environmental point of view, in Quebec, the best choice is probably the electric barbecue. Popular with condo owners, these devices are however far from having won the hearts of all barbecue lovers.

8000

Every year, François Fillion and volunteers from the CRÉER organization dismantle and recover the materials from approximately 8,000 children’s car seats in their Victoriaville workshop. A figure that they wish to increase by trying to convince the large cities of Quebec and their ecocenters to establish collection points on their territory. The only center in Quebec to recycle used car seats, CRÉER estimates that tens of thousands of seats are thrown away each year in the province.

Read the article “Blue planet, green ideas: the network that recycles car seats”

Consult the list of collection points

Green light

Communauto arrives in Terrebonne

Terrebonne becomes number 9^e Quebec city to host the Communauto car-sharing service. Three hybrid cars can now be reserved by citizens as part of the implementation of this pilot project. The service is in addition to the exo on-demand public transport pilot project, which promises flexible and more direct journeys, and the arrival of around thirty BIXI bicycles in the municipality last summer.

Food for thought

The future of construction

What will the future hold for construction materials? In 2050, will cities be circular mines where materials will be collected and reused? This is one of the ideas launched in the futuristic short film The materialists, produced by Architecture sans frontières Québec, Dark Matter Labs and Les Interstices in partnership with Recyc-Québec. Both the result of a participatory workshop bringing together industry players and a call for collective action, this is an original way of approaching the ecological transition.

Watch the short film The materialists

Ask your questions about the issues related to the ecological transition.