Improved Biomass Cooking Stoves

by Hugh McLaughlin, PhD, PE, Alterna Biocarbon Inc., January 2010 Version

Download the Instructions: 1G Toucan TLUD for Biochar Jan 2010 - final.pdf (630kb)

Introductory Industrial Attachment Courses focused on upscaling the efficiency and sustainability of the seed-to-ash cycle of biomass based household energy resources in East Africa.

The Need – Energy Conservation

refering to the crizes on Haiti and the aftermath of the earthquake, we hereby like inform you about the You Tube video of former president and now UN Spescial envoy to Haiti, mr. Clinton and his speach about the possibilities to change focus from charcoal to briquettes or pellets produced out of any type of dry biomass as household energy in Haiti or elsewhere in the world:
See links:

Paal Wendelobo, January 2010

Attached you will find a prospect of the new TLUD called MUS (multi use stove).

MUS The multi-use stove.

Crispin Pemberton-Pigott and Roger Samson, January 2010

Grasifier

Roger Samson was here tonight and we made and tested a Grasifier: a Switchgrass burning stove based on the dimensions of the Vesto adapted to make a lower cost pellet burning stove for Haiti.

Power, 2.5 kw
Burn rate 8-10 g/min
Mass 550 g
Fuel load 600 g though it can hold 750

Lighted with two caps of paint thinners
The flame went completely blue (just before the end) then wobbled a lot and went out.
When it went out there was no smoke indicating there were no volatiles left.

Time to fabricate, about 30 minutes.

I see this as a burner that can be attached to the centre of a Haitian charcoal stove to convert it into very clean burning a pellet stove.

Char yield: 25% of the initial dry mass.
Moisture content of the initial fuel, about 7%

Ash: nearly none.

Regards
CrispinSneakers

Save Money, Save Energy, Eat Well!

Since the introduction of our line of Cookswell Energy Efficient Charcoal Ovens in 1992, thousands of ovens have been sold regionally and countrywide, to all manner of people for all manner of uses.

Nat Mulcahy, January 2010

Spent the day yesterday working with the state department to get more clearance for our shipments. 64 tons of pellets will provide food and clean water for 145000 families.

with 3,000,000 people displaced it will not last long. we are handing our the pellets and peanut shells in paper bags we have measured out to cook one meal or boil three pots of water. the paper bags are about the size one a lunch bag and the bag itself is the tinder to start the stove.

Spend the past two days working with NIH, EPA, The State Department, Haiti, USAID, and the World Bank. LuciaStove production is now set at 3000 per month but we keep being asked to ramp up to 5 to10 times that number.
Today we started casting the larger parts for the Biucci (the institutional version of the LucieStove), see attached. The more we make in haiti the more jobs we create here and the less we have to depend on the very sporadic shipping options.

Fuel, Stoves and Water for Haiti
January 27, 2009

There are several projects to supply fuel, stoves and potable water to Haiti. Some have been been ongoing since before the quake and some. The organizations we know of are:

CHF International, Helps (Water Purifier)
To donate a $35 water purifying system, go to https://secure.helpsintl.org/store/haiti.php

Legacy Foundation (Fuel Briquettes)

Miombo, Project Haiti www.prohaiti.org
Peko Pe TLUD pellet fueled stoves to be distributed by Project Haiti. Pellets from Georgia.

Trees, Water, People TWP
Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team AMURT http://www.amurthaiti.org/ and
Recho Rocket stove made from mud formed in a bucket, the Haiti Rocket Stove
Stovetec Rocket Stoves in a metal bucket.

World Stove, International Lifeline Fund
Biucci, Everything Nice TLUD stoves fabricated in Haiti. Pellet fuel from Florida (Green Circle). Grass pellets to be made in Haiti.

Haiti Charcoal stove
Bootstrapper January 26, 2010

The day of the earthquake I was in Haiti and took the attached picture of a charcoal stove in a school kitchen that afternoon. The other method used to cook was a 3-stone fire.

The day after the earthquake we were walking thru a neighborhood seeing if we could help anyone when I observed a strange sight. It was the location of a charcoal seller and the entire floor of this location was charcoal powder or dust. This "floor" was at least 3 to 4 foot thick. My thinking at that time was this is a tremendous energy resource. Time did not allow close inspection or even talking with the operators.

On my return home, I made a quick "how to" document on using the charcoal powder with a binder to hand make briquettes. I've sent the document to my contact in Haiti and asked that he take it to the charcoal seller and see if he knows how to use that charcoal powder/dust. No reply yet.

There may be hundreds of charcoal sellers in Haiti with hundreds or thousands of pounds of charcoal dust or powder that can be made into briquettes.

Martin Boll, January, 2010

Take a normal 870ml (fruit-) can, cut with a sharp-edged knife parallel cuts in the bottom with about 5mm distance.

1.-Bend with a screw-driver and pliers the metal-ribbons to get a grate.
This alone works well, but looses some fuel/charcoal.

2.- Form a “plissee”-metal-sheet (pleated) out of the side of a (10cm
diameter) can.

Each zig-zag-side about 1cm. The angles 60°. Put the can with slits ( like
1.-) onto the plisse-grate/support, so that the slits cross the plies in 90°.

-The plissee-lines are directed in wind-direction.

-The ashes on the pleated-metal-sheet can be cleaned with a thin stick or wire, while burning; but caution, that the tin-can-stove does not tumble.

-Another advantage of the plissee is, that the grat/bottom is heat-isolating and protected by the ashes. The charcoal falling through the upper gate is burning on the ashes on the plissee.