[Stoves] FW: Improved cook stoves and carbon footprint

[Martha Hagood]

Dear Crispin,

You wrote, "With respect to 'GHG' you might find something missing
depending on what you want to know. Are you looking for a methane
balance/offset or particulate emissions (which are a significant
air-warmer during the particulate's
lifetime)? How inclusive is your 'GHG'?"

I don't know the answer to that. I have to take particulate emissions
into account on a couple of levels, not just in terms of warming, but
also in terms of health. I'm trying to evaluate the consequences of
people in developed countries adopting "improved cook stoves" for
heating and cooking. If it's not a good idea (as I've read in the
literature) then I want to understand why, separate from the warming
issue.

I'm assuming the stoves would be used inside. It occurs to me that
combining biomass-burning stoves with superinsulated housing might be
a very bad idea. On the other hand, if one's kitchen were sheltered
but not insulated (and thus better ventilated), and you had a proper
chimney, it might be fine. I also need to figure out how particulate
emissions from a Rocket Stove would compare to a conventional
EPA-approved woodstove. I haven't looked at that at all, yet.

Thank you for the reference to ProBEC and the Tau Stove. I have found
some online references and will follow up. This sounds like exactly
what I need. The learning curve is challenging me a bit --- I have
taught a couple of History of Modern Design courses recently and am
trying to get more deeply into the history of our present moment. The
stoves issue interests me quite a bit.

I appreciate the guidance. While I have you on the line (so to speak)
is there a term to describe the type of burn chamber that I saw on
your website for the Basintuthu baking stove? Is that cylinder a
"Tsotso burner"?

Martha