Developing a prototype top-lit up-draft pyrolysis (TLUD-Pyro) stove for improving household energy systems in rural Ethiopia

Publikations-Art

Poster

Autoren

Intani, K; Latif, S; Müller, J

Erscheinungsjahr

2015

Veröffentlicht in

Book of Abstracts

Tagungsname

PLANT 2030 Status Seminar 2015

Tagungsort

Potsdam, Germany

Tagungsdatum

4 - 6 March 2015

Schlagworte

biomass

Most of the households in Ethiopia still rely on traditional use of biomass for their energy needs. Traditional three-stone stoves are widely used in Ethiopia. This type of cooking device has a low fuel efficiency and high emission, which leads to respiratory disease in women and children associated with indoor air pollution. In this context, micro-gasification is a better technology than direct combustion, since it can achieve higher fuel efficiency and lower emission. Micro-gasifier cookstoves can produce their own gas from solid biomass and provide sufficient heat for cooking activities. The charcoal produced during the gasification process of biomass can be used as a soil amendment and carbon sink known as biochar. This study aims to develop a gasifier cookstove according to local cooking methods and preferences. The information on the current cooking practices and preferences had been obtained during the field investigation and literature reviews. A prototype of a micro-gasifier stove (TLUD: Top-lit up-draft) was developed and tested. A new design was introduced by integrating a pyrolysis chamber into the afterburner of the TLUD. This new unit is called “TLUD-Pyro” stove. It can produce additional biochar, bio-oil, and syngas under pyrolysis conditions by utilizing the excess heat from the TLUD (up to 680 °C). The preliminary results have shown promising potential of the TLUD-Pyro stove in providing energy for cooking and creating a valuable byproduct such as biochar and bio-oil. The biochar can be used for soil amendment and carbon sequestration. The bio-oil can be converted to both energetic (heat, electricity, synthesis gas) and chemical products (acids, alcohols, phenols, etc.). However, further engineering, improvement, and field testing are required in order to bring this stove technology to maturity.