Improved Biomass Cooking Stoves

Alexis Belonio, Bima Tahar, and Bonny Minang

A super low-cost, blue-flame rice husk gas stove was recently developed in Indonesia to provide households with an affordable clean-burning cooking device using rice husks as fuel.

Within the 3 years of development on rice husk gasifier stove, PT Minang Jordanindo Approtech has finally come up with the super low-cost, blue-flame rice husk gas stove carrying a selling price of US$10 to 15, which is very much cheaper as compared with the previous model with a selling price of US$20. With this development, consumers don’t need to amortize for the stove, as what is currently practiced in villages in Indonesia, for them to acquire a unit of the stove in order for them to save money on fuel. Moreover, this stove is now made available to end users at a low cost, freeing the distributors from the task of devising financing schemes just to make the technology affordable to the local households.

As shown, the stove consists of only few parts. It was designed and made so simple to maximize the use of materials and to simplify the production using locally available resources. This stove model has the following basic parts: (a) the casing is made of tin can and can be bought at a very low price from a Can Factory; (b) the reactor can be subcontracted from a sheet metal manufacturer as well as the stove cover
and the burner; (c) the fan, which uses DC 12 volt, 2 watt supplies the required air to gasify rice husks. The flame coming out of the burner is bluish in color, which indicates a very clean gas. It has low black carbon emission of about 50 ug/m3 and below. The CO2 emission is about 0.6 kg CO2 per kg rice husks.

The results of field testing the POCA/Maputo Ceramic Stove (MCS) and traditional metal stoves (TMS) using an uncontrolled cooking test (UCT) are attached. In a UCT people cook whatever they want and we watch carefully. The results have fuel-moisture compensated values. The charcoal was almost always hardwood lumps. Larger meals tend to be watery and small meals tend to be frying something in oil.

The comparison indicates a clear change in relative performance with meal size. The bigger the meal, the more the savings with the improved stove. There is also a chart attached showing the increase in thermal efficiency with meal size.

The meal size on one the X-axis.

The WBT locates one point on the line. Performing the test seven times locates that point very accurately but is it difficult to know where the line goes from that point.

No ‘outliers’ were removed in this analysis even when they were obvious. The meal size varies with the season so the question about consumption has more than one answer.

Regards
Crispin
Air Jordan

Anil K. Rajvanshi
NARI February, 2011

Kerosene lanstove is a device which simultaneously produces very high quality of light, cooks a complete meal for a family of 4-5 people and boils 10 liters of water. The word lanstove has been coined by our Institute NARI (http://www.nariphaltan.org ). The kerosene combustion is excellent with CO levels less than 3-4 ppm and particulates are within WHO limits. Lanstove is as convenient as LPG stove cooking and has been tested in rural households in India. http://www.nariphaltan.org/kerolanstove.pdf

Crispin Pemberton‐Pigott October, 2008
Sustainable Energy Technology and Research Centre University of Johannesbrg 
Programme for Basic Energy Conservation GTZ/ProBEC a SADC Regional Project 

See the attached pdf: CERAMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR DOMESTIC STOVES 

Also take a look at Crispin's very good ceramic stove image galleries.

It is intended that this brief report describe in an accessible manner the results of some basic research into the performance of ceramic materials suitable for use to make modern, low‐cost improved charcoal stoves. The 
theatre of investigation is the area around Maputo, Moçambique. 

 The information and ideas are assembled from a large number of tests and reports. If studied carefully an understanding can be gained of the 
principle ingredients found in typical clays. It is hoped enough can also
 be learned about what the tests show so as to interest the ‘stover’ in a 
deeper study of this vast subject.  

Some reasons why clay stoves and stove components typically have such a 
short life are described and to a certain extent, what can be done about 
it.   

There is a great deal of material available on how to find, identify and 
process clays such as pottery books and the internet. It is not repeated 
here.  Unfortunately very little of the material available is geared to 
the design of low cost ceramics stoves which have problems not encountered
 in many industrial applications with far higher temperatures.  

Ceramics are complex mixtures of many minerals so it is not possible to 
give comprehensive explanations in such a brief text, however the novice 
reader should learn enough to be able to deal with a laboratory and 
understand some common terminology and the test results.  There have been
 many technological advances in recent years making accessible tests and 
analyses that were previously unaffordable to the ordinary potter.

The "Easy 5 Gallon Bucket Rocket Stove", is very easy to build. All materials anyone needs to cook a good hot meal is a metal 5 gallon bucket, some stove pipe and vermiculite, pearlite or similar insulation (even "wood ash" can be used). Since the insulation separates the heat from the housing, almost ALL of the flame and heat is directed up to the cooking pot or utensil. Almost NO heat is wasted, making it one of the most efficient rocket stoves I've seen. Definitely one one the EASIEST to build and transport!

Ron Ray

Robert V. Lange, February, 2011

Robert Lange, and the team from the ICSEE has been working in cooperation with the local Maasai leadership to bring both improved cookstoves and improved light and radio access to their people, as well as the training to install and repair their own stoves and PVC systems.

This project does a great job of teaching the women of the Maasai tribes to build their own improved rocket style stoves using local materials, and relatively small sections of steel and rebar to improve the durability of the local ceramic brick. The women are clearly proud of their new stoves, and their ability to repair, and move the stoves as needed, and even better than that - the neighbors are jealous and motivated to learn and build as well.

More information is available on their web site: http://www.maasaistovessolar.org

More information about the project methodology, and other ICSEE Projects can be found on the ICSEE web site:
http://www.the-icsee.org/projects/africa/villageprojects.htm
and the Villages Project web site: http://www.villageprojectsint.org/

Christa Roth, February, 2011

Dear all, find below the links to new publications by GIZ HERA poverty-oriented basic energy services, among them the manual on Micro-gasification: Cooking with gas from biomass. For queries please refer to the respective authors or Michael Blunck from HERA.

the HERA web site

Micro-gasification: Cooking with gas from biomass

- new link : https://energypedia.info/wiki/File:Micro_Gasification_Cooking_with_gas_f...

Micro-gasifiers: much more than „just another improved cook stove”. In this new HERA handbook, Christa Roth provides an introduction to the concept and the application of wood-gas burning technologies for cooking.

Modern Energy Services for Modern Agriculture. A Review for Smallholder Farming in Developing Countries.
http://www.gtz.de/de/dokumente/giz2011-en-energy-services-for-modern-agr...
This publication provides an overview on energy inputs required in different steps of the agricultural production chain, such as production, post-harvest and storage, processing, and commercialization.

Small-scale Electricity Generation from Biomass – Part III: Vegetable Oil
http://www.gtz.de/de/dokumente/giz2011-en-small-scale-electricity-genera...
In the third and final part of HERA’s paper series on power generation from biomass, GIZ and non-GIZ experience with electricity production from vegetable oils is compiled. While from a technology point-of-view, plant oils constitute a very viable option for off-grid power generation in developing countries, their sustainable application in daily operation for rural electrification projects still remains rare. The paper identifies remaining bottlenecks and provides recommendations for future electrification projects based on plant oil.

Carbon Markets for Improved Cooking Stoves – Revised Edition: January 2011
http://www.gtz.de/de/dokumente/giz2011-en-carbon-markets-for-improved-st...
After receiving a lot of positive feedback for the 2010 edition of the carbon market guidebook for cooking stove projects, HERA has come up with a major revision for 2011. Besides a large number of minor corrections and updates, a new chapter on “Implementing a Carbon-funded Cooking Stove Project” with information on how to practically design a carbon-funded stove project has been added. The chapter includes information on stakeholders’ roles and responsibilities, the CDM-PoA approach, recommendations on the use of carbon revenues as well as an overview on expected costs and revenues from a stove project on the carbon market.

From GEO CAMP FIRE STOVE

This a low cost simple tin can of less $ 0.5 , with primary and secondary air facility to use for efficient camp fires and also for cooking on it. One need to strive for using the best and efficient stoves, but for the poor, and unavoidable situation / emergencies, such simple tools can be used.
This design is incidental, I have prepared lots of tin cans for Magh CL stove http://e-mcl.blogspot.com/, this winter it had been too cold, during the nights for warmth these tins were used, the efficiency was very high as compared to the open campfires and it was comfortable to use it everywhere. The primary and secondary air helped in complete combustion. Using it for cooking from camp fire mode was also convenient, by just putting on top a concentrator slab and pot rest. During cooking the fuel was fed from the side openings. The wood fed is vertical to slant, this helped in convenient combustion. While cooking was done the radiation of heat was enough for warmth.

Tom Miles, ETHOS Conference 2011
Kirkland, Washington, USA January 28th ~ 30th, 2011

The ETHOS Stoves Conference was last weekend, and it included demonstrations by some of the stove makers and manufactures, with the opportunity to talk to the people using and inventing the stoves.

Here are some of the stand-outs from the demonstrations area, click on an image to view it in a larger size.

	The Shark Stove presented by John and Flip Anderson. Notice the even cooking on the pancakes, that even heat is partially due the ceramic shark teeth construction just under the cooking surface. This is primarily a stick burning stove with both a plancha (even cooking surface) and pot rests.
	Jatropha Seed TLUD (Top, lit, updraft design, using natural draft - no fan) by Pamoja (http://www.pamoja.net/protree_jatropha.html) and Jet City Stoveworks ( http://jetcitystoveworks.com/ ). Abely demonstrated by David Otto.
	Paul Anderson dexterously burning Jatropha seeds (out of doors) in the Woodgas Stove ( http://woodgas.com/bookSTOVE.htm ) designed by Tom Reed. This is a light weight gasifying stove (minus the pot rest in the picture) that uses a small electric fan.
	Boiling water in the Charbelle, presented by Peter Scott. The Charbelle is a Charcoal cooking stove designed by the Burn Design Lab ( http://www.burndesignlab.org/our-stoves/ ) for use in Haiti. This stove features an abrasion and thermal shock resistant ceramic liner surrounded by sheet metal cladding. The stove is currently being mass produced and sold in Kenya. The stove has been very well received, earning top marks from consumers.
	Ryan with StoveTec was demonstrating the StoveTec Stove ( http://www.stovetec.net/us/ ) an Ashden Award winning cook stove that can either be used with stick wood or charcoal. The institutional version of the StoveTec Stove for use in schools and other organizations, has an attached chimney and an a pressure cooker version. The pressure cooker is useful to shorten cooking times, and the fuel consumption, when cooking beans and small grains.
	The Nomad PrePac ( http://www.preppac.net/ ) Bio-fuel Camp Stove burning stick wood. This is an ultra-light stove designed to burn small amounts of fuel for camping or for emergency preparedness.
	the PEMS emissions testing was happening at ETHOS (of course), Larry Winiarski is in the background in these pictures.

Joyce M Lockard, January 2011

HOW TO MAKE FUEL BRIQUETTES WITHOUT A PRESS (4MB PDF)

YOU CAN MAKE BRIQUETTES BY HAND or WITH A PLASTIC MOLD!

You can use a plastic bottle or other straight-sided plastic container about 4”-8” in diameter to shape the briquette. You will need a piece of wood or banana plant stem or a tin can that will fit into the container as a piston to press water out of the briquette mix, a knife, a plastic bag and some wire.

Please see the attached Presentation for pictures and full details:

http://www.bioenergylists.org/files/HOW TO MAKE FUEL BRIQUETTES WITHOUT A PRESS.pdf