[Stoves] <Discussion of biomass cooking stoves>

[paal wendelbo]

 Stovers

            OK, let us say by calculation that there is a loss of 40% energy by production of charcoal in controlled advanced kilns, may be 50% loss by simple kilns in the bush. In addition there is a loss by handling, transport and sale, may be 10%. Then we come to loss in the charcoal stove and the practical use of the stove and the fuel. One needs quite a lot more energy to ignite the charcoal stove and when there is fire, the heat will be normally too high. You can't switch to one, but you have to remove the pan from the hottest place and a lot of energy will be lost for nothing. Another thing by boiling beans you have to ad more cold water due to more evaporation. Then you cool down the beans and loose energy by heating up again. When the cooking is over the rest of heat will be wasted. 

            Some years ago we made a lot of tests at Forest Training College in Uganda with charcoal stoves compared to PP TLUD/ND with same weight amount of fuel, and we found some charcoal stoves could not even boil a litre of water and the PP could boil a litre of water with the same amount of fuel,(straw)  which was used for igniting the charcoal. Another test with 3 litre of water compared 3 different charcoal stoves and PP stove with the same amount/weight of charcoal and woodchips. The PP performed .20-30% better in all tests. A test with chopped wood in PP and charcoal in PP stove, same amount weight. Chopped wood in PP was best in most tests but charcoal in PP stove best for long time cooking.  

 

Taken all details into consideration let us have an evaluation by a neutral test institution:  charcoal in a charcoal stove contra woodchips in TLUD/ND-FD. This is important to know about for us who are working with TLUD and for those who are spending half of their income on household fuel for daily cooking

Regards Paal W