Evaluation of biomass-based cook stoves in Ethiopia: A transition strategy from conventional to modern cook stoves

Abstract

Performance improvement of cookstoves has a vital role in reducing indoor air pollution and deforestation. In this study, biomass-based cook stoves onsite data survey and experimental approaches were carried out to evaluate the performance of different cook stoves. Based on this feasibility research, it was shown that firewood accounted for 75% of the fuel type usage. The results of several studies and experimental performance testing indicated that the efficiency of cook stoves for 3-stone, lakech, mirt, gonze, tikikil, and pyrolysis stoves was 10%, 25%, 48%, 50%, and 76%, respectively. Merely 87 out of the total 1986 families with kebeles had improved cookstoves; the remaining households used 3-stone stove types. According to the study, the pyrolysis stove had the lowest fuel consumption rate and cooking time, while the 3-stone stove had the greatest fuel consumption rate and cooking time. The improvement stove reduced emissions, and the highest emission reduction stove was the gasifier stove, with a magnitude of 1.229 tons CO₂/HH/Year. Among cooking stoves, gasifier stoves have a great advantage in producing energy and biochar.