Vi Nguyen,
Thanks for letting me know about this and it’s good to see that Via Water is including postings that involve briquettes and environmentally responsible cooking and cook stoves. After all, indoor air quality involves the other of the two most apparent crises of environmental health. Over 1,000 of those who cook, predominantly women, die every day as a result of the respiratory illnesses caused by smoke and fumes around cook stoves.
Allow me to contribute some information concerning an optimized cook stove of the type that burns bio-mass, as described at the site, https://tzenvirohealth.wixsite.com/ceramics Scrolling down a bit there’s information about the environmentally responsible *insulating ceramic rocket stove.* While the rocket stove design is state-of-the-art, first introduced by Aprovecho.net, that described at this site has been adapted to sustainability, ie. very low cost and readily reproducible almost anywhere. With a bit of guidance, the poorest of the poor will find this to be user friendly.
Using carbonized fuel is commendable in that it eliminates smoke around cook stoves, but I wonder that the decision makers at the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, and those of like mind, are most keen on such fossil fuels as oil and gas? It could be argued that discounting the importance of bio-mass and carbonized fuels would be a mistake, as if the related problem with global warming would be far more a concern in the industrialized world. We’re still looking for answers.
Thanks again,
Reid
Hi Reid,
Thanks for sharing and posting in the community. Could you share the URL link again to the information on optimised cook stoves? It didn't seem to open in your post.
We also have another project in Kenya working on turning the invasive water hyacinth into fuel pellets that may be of interest to you.
To muse on your question: I don't think the use of biomass in itself is a concern, but when biomass resources are used and harvested unsustainably, I think this is where it causes the most issues in terms of health, the environment and economic development.
For many households, switching away from biomass fuels is not feasible in the short term, so one approach is to promote more sustainable biomass fuels (like our two projects are doing) and switching to more efficient cook stoves like you mentioned.
Be interesting to hear what other members of our community think about this?
Hi again, Vi Nguyen,
Sorry it didn't open and now I've cut and pasted the site into a PDF file. This is accessible at the link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LrpXjrWMkXgeKrXYkpnjU3fjUTUkA5Nx/view?u...
Can you please confirm that this opens? Incidentally, I'd love to say more about this stove and the prospects for projects with it, but first let me know that it opens. As it is, it's lost resolution in the cut and paste, etc.
Reid
Hi Reid, the link now opens. Many thanks for sharing!
Vi Nguyen,
Since the link now opens I have another comment about the *insulating ceramic rocket stove* and it’s viability as a prototype for widespread application. A reason I know that the model is appreciated is that based on this, USAID paid most of my expenses to a 2011 conference in Peru of the Partnership for Clean Indoor Air. There I was told that this stove was/is the number one choice of the organizers. It’s all about sustainability.
As to why this hasn’t taken off, aside from my wondering that oil and gas burning stoves may be more palatable to the decision makers, there’s an issue that pursuit of this stove appears to cut the middle marketer out. Production and distribution is in the hands of the rural clay workers who produce the special bricks and their neighbors who fabricate and distribute the stoves.
Consequently I wonder that many implementers of stove projects wouldn’t find the model attractive? While I feel obliged for humanity sake to assist in fostering this, it’s a shame that so viable an approach does not proliferate, or even really begin.
Please note that I am not so much a cynic as a pragmatist.
Reid
Thanks Reid - does anyone in the community with experience in cooking stoves or fuel briquettes have any input on this?
Vi Nguyen,
Thanks for pursuing the issues of stoves and allow me to say a bit more. We who are devoted to getting safe drinking water to those vulnerable have our hands full with just this, and could hardly be blamed for not taking the broader interest in indoor air quality; smoke around cook stoves.
There are few of us, in fact, who find it plausible that safe drinking water and clean cook stoves make sense within the same conversation, while they appear in many ways to be unrelated. Ceramists too are unaware, while their context tends to be that of the industrialized world. The fact remains, however, that ceramics is uniquely suited in addressing both of these challenges.
Consider within this issue the fact that ceramic traditions are practically universal in the developing world, just as it clearly is with those who work with clay. The mystery of how this applies to work with stoves also has to do with the lack of knowledge as to the simple processes implicit. For example, few people, even among ceramists are aware of the simple methods of producing models and molds.
Yet with only one set of *master molds* for the special curved bricks of the insulating ceramic rocket stove, not only can innumerable *working molds* be made, but innumerable master molds can also be made. Additionally, even among ceramists, there is little idea as to how it is that the curved bricks should be mortared together. This too is simple, by using a 50/50 mix of fine clay with fine sand (also abundant). The clay binds the bricks together while the sand prevents this simple mortar from shrinking away from the bricks.
Imagine the frustration among those of us who are so aware, that others cannot be convinced! While it’s all too easy to blame the decision makers for a lack of guidance, we ourselves are to blame for a lack of patience. And sadly, all too often I (we) lack persuasive skills and the right words at those times when this is important. While development is essential this can be an arduous process.
Thanks again for listening.