Improved Biomass Cooking Stoves

CO/CO2 Ratio in the Charcoal Stoves Tested at Aprovecho (pdf)
Dean Still, Aprovecho Research Center, June 23, 2006

The following graph plots the levels of CO and CO2 during one test each of the charcoal burning rocket stove and Jiko-type charcoal stove from Ghana. A higher level of CO2 suggests a higher burn rate of fuel.

It can be seen that even though the CO level for the rocket drops below 10 ppm, the CO2 level remains high suggesting a high firepower continues. The Ghana charcoal stove has a lower level of CO2 with a considerably higher level of CO.

Comparing the Charcoal Burning Rocket and Jiko Stoves (pdf)
Dean Still and Nordica MacCarty, Aprovecho Research Center, June 22nd, 2006

The charcoal Rocket Stove was compared to the Jiko-type charcoal stove sent from Ghana. 600 grams of Kingsford charcoal was placed in the stoves under the Aprovecho emissions hood. One test was performed on each stove for preliminary studies. The stoves are compared in the following graph for carbon monoxide emissions during a cooking task (to boil 5L of water and simmer 30 minutes).

National burden of disease in India from indoor air pollution
Kirk Smith, 2000
School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-7360; and East-West Center, Honolulu, HI 96848

Smoke's increasing cloud across the globe
Practical Action June 16, 2006

Introduction:

It is in the world’s poorest regions that smoke is a major threat, including China, India and sub-Saharan Africa. On current trends, 200 million more people will rely on these polluting fuels by 2030. Women and children are exposed for up to seven hours a day to pollution concentrations 100 times and more above accepted safety levels. There is ample medical evidence that smoke from burning biomass fuels leads to killer diseases, such as penumonia, chronic bronchitis and lung cancer.

Health Effects of Air Pollution from Household Fuels
Kirk R. Smith*, Sumi Mehta1*, Miriam Feuz+
* Environmental Health Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

Shedding new light on wood smoke: a risk factor for respiratory health
C. Boman1, B. Forsberg2 and T. SandstrNike News

Household Fuels and Ill-Health in Developing Countries:What improvements can be brought by LP Gas? (pdf)
K

Building Solar Cookers in Hands-on Course (pdf)
Second report filed by Ethos/CEDESOL team - Summer 2006 CEDESOL

This is the second in what we hope to be a series of "weekly" reports by the ETHOS team working with CEDESOL in Bolivia this summer (northern hemisphere). Their first report is located at http://bioenergylists.org/en/node/527

Reducing Indoor Air Pollution through Improved Cookstoves Dissemination: The Case of Patsari Stoves in Rural Mexico
in PCIA Bulletin Issue 7, June 2006

Household Woodsmoke and Health in Guatemala
in PCIA Bulletin Issue 7, June 2006
Kirk Smith, RESPIRE (Randomized Exposure Study of Pollution Indoors and Respiratory Effects)