Biogas - An alternative household cooking technique for Zambia

Abstract

Over 80% of Zambia's population relies on wood fuel in form of firewood and charcoal for cooking. The use of wood fuel is associated with the use of inefficient stoves that increase health and environmental impacts and poverty. This project aimed to propose use of biogas from anaerobic digestion as an alternative cooking technique for households using wood fuel in Zambia. Biogas is not only an important part of household cooking technique alternative, but also an important aspect of development of rural new energy and sustainable development in Zambia. The use of biogas will help in reducing the time spent on collecting firewood, costs on purchasing charcoal and fossil fuel, improve poor people's living standards, more time in farm productivity and more children will have time for school. This paper also reviews the current situation in Zambia and what needs to be done by the government in order to win people's confidence in developing biogas plants. More experimental researches in biogas technology need to be undertaken in Zambia. There is need for government to welcome different models so that people are free to use what is beneficial to them provided it meets their requirements and to do research to make it affordable.