Updates on emission reduction methods and COP28| Presented by Michael Johnson
This talk will provide an overview of the emissions reduction methodology being developed by 4C. Given recent criticism in the press and scientific literature about over-crediting carbon offsets for cookstove projects, this methodology aims to improve the accuracy and integrity of emission reductions achieved by clean cooking interventions. We will also provide a summary of developments at COP28 relevant to the household energy sector.

Cookstove Carbon Calculator|Presented by Paula Coto
The Clean Cooking and Climate Consortium (4C) is creating a new carbon accounting framework that builds on current methodologies used in the voluntary and compliant market. Inputs and calculations can be complicated and error prone. This project aims to develop a web-based cookstove carbon calculator that can handle fuel efficiency and fuel switching programs, incorporate device-specific emission factors in some cases, and include a database of relevant input parameters. As methodologies are updated or include more components, the software can incorporate changes to reflect the latest science and technical approaches. The Cookstove Carbon Calculator will aid in making emission reduction estimates more user-friendly and reliable. This talk will present our initial development process and platform.

Overview of Clean Cooking and Climate Consortium (4C) | Presented by Jessica Kroenert, Rob Bailis, Michael Johnson
An overview of the Clean Cooking & Climate Consortium (4C) and its activities. 4C was formed by a number of partners -- including the Clean Cooking Alliance, UNFCCC, Berkeley Air Monitoring Group, the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), the Stockholm Environment Institute, and the US EPA to encourage countries to put clean cooking targets in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which more than 98 countries have now done. The Consortium is providing national governments with evidence and guidance on how best to articulate, plan, and meet the cooking-related goals in their NDCs; to access opportunities for implementation support and potential funding. 4C is also providing guidance on program design and implementation, as well as measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) for clean cooking initiatives.

F-you, F-me, fNRB! Lets talk woodfuel-landscape dynamics|Presented by Rob Bailis and Adrian Ghilardi
Carbon finance is considered one of the most promising ways to fund a clean cooking transition in low-and middle-income countries. However, to mobilize carbon finance, we need to accurately account for emission reductions that result when clean and efficient cooking devices displace traditional wood and charcoal stoves. This requires that we understand how stocks of woody biomass change as a result of woodfuel harvesting. The organizations that certify carbon projects use the "fraction of nonrenewable biomass" or "fNRB" to estimate emission reductions. We recently completed a reassessment of fNRB for sub-Saharan Africa and are currently working reassessments of other regions. In this presentation, will explain the methodology that we use estimate fNRB and review the results of our SSA analysis. We will also discuss some of the comments and critiques that we’ve received and review the potential policy implications of our work.

Presentations also by Annelise Marie Gill-Wiehl, Barbara Haya, and Dan Kammen

Cleaning up the mess in the kitchen - improving integrity in the voluntary carbon market (VCM) for the clean cooking sector| Presented by Tom Price
The last few years have revealed contradictory trends in the voluntary carbon market for clean cooking offsets, with rapidly expanding capacity and the rise of companies offering subsidized or free stoves and fuel, funded entirely by carbon, while at the same time slumping prices over rising concerns about quality and impact. A consensus is emerging among academics, ratings agencies, and trade groups around the best ways to prove impact. What are they, and how well do they line up with the largest business models in the market today?

Stastically-significant SUMs deployments and next-generation SUMs for carbon finance projects| Presented by Danny Wilson
The carbon markets want assurance that cookstoves are adopted and have their intended impacts. Doubts about actual cookstove use will lead to fewer carbon finance projects and a lower price per ton. To boost confidence, every carbon finance project should monitor a statistically-relevant subsample of stoves using sensors. In this talk, I will discuss the development of a sensor deployment sizing recommendation using a bootstrap statistical analysis of Geocene's ~5M sensor-observed meals. Then, I will describe Geocene's next-generation stove use monitor (SUM) and how it will meet the technical and economic needs of the carbon markets.

High Integrity Clean Cookstove Carbon Credits: A case study of BURN Manufacturing| Presented by Natasha Otolo
BURN Manufacturing is Africa’s largest clean cooking carbon project developer. BURN is best known for designing, manufacturing and distributing the world’s most fuel-efficient biomass stoves. Since 2013, BURN has sold over 4 million stoves across 10 African countries, and in 2023, BURN launched an electric cooking suite in 6 markets.
Natasha is BURN’s carbon technical manager, designing high quality carbon projects and leading robust monitoring campaigns. This presentation looks at BURN’s approach to integrity – starting with a quality product, and then ensuring accurate ground-truthed data.

Working Group 1 of TC 285, known as the “Conceptual Framework” working group, has produced a Draft Publicly Available Standard (PAS) on evaluating “evaluation instruments” or testing protocols. The aspects of cooking stoves that can be evaluated are numerous, and for each one, there are many possible testing styles, ranging from highly controlled conditions to those that exist in real homes. We’ll identify some of the most important ideas in this document as well as answer questions. How might this standard help you choose a useful standard or protocol, when it doesn’t actually point to any specific document? How does it relate to existing standards, including others put forward by TC 285? Recognizing that every evaluation instrument must contain some compromises, how might the community work toward further development with the PAS providing guidance?

CCA is proud to be part of the development, dissemination, and implementation of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) clean cooking standards since CCA's inception. In 2021, CCA launched a round robin testing program with nine labs in eight countries to deepen the capacity of testing centers and to ensure they are harmonized in their abilities, so that stakeholders receive similar results no matter where in the world they send their stove to be tested.

As these labs act as hubs in each of their regions, this work built regional testing capacity in addition to national capacity in the 8 countries. The testing also provided a much-needed increase in available testing data on clean cooking stoves and fuels in use in the sector.

The round robin program provided key experiences and support to participating laboratories allowing them to improve their execution of the ISO protocol. The program also helped build communications and relationships across testing laboratories, which fostered peer-to-peer learning and strengthened connections in the testing community. The results provide key insights into how the protocol is implemented and the corresponding implications for results.

This presentation will cover an overview of the round robin program, outcomes, lessons learned, and next steps for future cohorts.

There has been a lot of action in the ISO Technical Committee 285 Cooking World over the past year and we are gearing up for an exciting year to come. This talk will discuss numerous activities including:
- the recently finalized Institutional Stove Standard;
- the process to review the Harmonized Lab Standard (mandatory review after 5 years);
- an update on Working Group 1’s Conceptual Framework document; and
- an update on Working Group 4’s Measuring Social Impacts of Cooking document.

In addition to sharing this information, we will discuss ways for the audience to engage directly in the ISO Working Groups, but also in the US Technical Advisory Group or USTAG.

The ABC brick cookstove is a crude TLUD made with 36 common bricks. All families in developing countries can afford to make one. It's simple to make and use. It works with most dry biomass including crop waste, dung and twigs. It is batch fed and lit on top. The fuel burns cleanly without tending for 15-50 minutes depending on the density of the fuel. The embers are quenched to make char for biochar or briquettes. This has the potential to end the use of firewood for cooking. Here is a video: https://youtu.be/CG415HmfPWE

Burn Design Lab (BDL) has partnered with El Fuego del Sol (FdS), a Haiti-based social-eco enterprise, to fabricate and test a series of institutional TLUD stoves. Join this talk to hear some of BDLs takeaways from testing, and learn more about the FdS stove in Haiti.

A theoretical discussion of mixing pyrolysis gas and secondary air in a TLUD stove burner. Includes principles like surface contact, penetration depth, and pressure gradients; and techniques like turbulence mixing, concentration mixing, and pressure gradient mixing. Special emphasis is placed on the exceptionally efficient bluff body Venturi pressure gradient mixing technique. Time permitting, a history of the bluff body (flame spreader) and its use in nineteenth century and World War 2 stoves will be included. The presentation is intended to promote discussion and understanding of TLUD gas mixing principles and techniques.

We present the complete details of an ongoing cookstove project in Bungoma, Kenya, including 1) the distinctive PowerPellet TLUD-ND stove characteristics; 2) fuel issues; 3) TEG power generation; 4) emissions; 5) humanitarian mission; 6) financial issues; 7) carbon credits for both emission reduction (ER) and carbon dioxide removal (CDR); 8) scale-up; 9) user feedback; and 10) lessons learned for cookstove success. Understanding a complete project from A to Z reveals the interconnected workings needed for appropriate sustainable success.

Nous voulons installer des fours à cuire les pains à haute performance énergétique respectueuse de l’environnement pour les petites boulangeries en milieu rural. Cette initiative réduit la pression de la déforestation et a le pouvoir de contribuer au développement des énergies propres. Le monde rural est essentiel pour résoudre la crise climatique. Changer leur mode de développement et de fonctionnement est l’une des meilleures occasions pour les CONGO RD d’atténuer les changements climatiques et de s’adapter à leurs effets. La demande en source d’énergie est très grande car quand il s’agit de cuire les pains ou les adobes ; ils ne recourent qu’à l’abattage d’arbres destinées à la construction des logis d’habitations et pour la cuisson des pains destinée à l’alimentation. Tenant compte de l’essor démographique, le foret subit une dégradation suite à la recherche de source d’énergie.
La demande en sources d’énergie est grandissante ; il s’agit d’importer les sources d’énergie propre par exemple, l’énergie solaire pour cuire les pains, préparer la nourriture destinée à la consommation journalière.
Notre approche simultanée est d’apporter les énergies alternatives pour atténuer et amèneront les populations à s’adapter sur les bonnes pratiques des cuissons propres moins polluantes. La solution est les cuiseurs solaires.

Improved cookstove performance in the laboratory mostly differs from its performance in real-time use in homes. Some studies have emphasized the need to balance lab results with field tests in decision-making during stove promotion projects. Ghana is characterized by varying cultural settings and cooking practices which are nearly representative of most West African countries. In this presentation, we share some insights from CSIR-IIR RTKC field work in Ghana on some stove promotion project that employed approaches such as profiling of stoves on the market, and laboratory testing to select 4 types of stoves based on a set of criteria. A total of 600 stoves were piloted, beneficiary households trained, monitoring and evaluation done to identify the best-performing stove in the field for promotion. The case study provided insightful lessons on understanding how the socio-cultural and specific cooking practices are key considerations for stove design, manufacture, and adoption. Also, the study provided lessons and recommendations on how the durability protocol should consider a complementary locally developed test protocol based on cooking practices to give field results that are comparable to the lab results.

A theoretical discussion of mixing pyrolysis gas and secondary air in a TLUD stove burner. Includes principles like surface contact, penetration depth, and pressure gradients; and techniques like turbulence mixing, concentration mixing, and pressure gradient mixing. Special emphasis is placed on the exceptionally efficient bluff body Venturi pressure gradient mixing technique. Time permitting, a history of the bluff body (flame spreader) and its use in nineteenth century and World War 2 stoves will be included. The presentation is intended to promote discussion and understanding of TLUD gas mixing principles and techniques.

En México, existen 28 millones de personas que utilizan leña para satisfacer tareas de cocción, calentamiento de agua y para lograr un confort térmico, estos usuarios utilizan la leña de manera exclusiva y combinada con otros tipos de combustibles. Actualmente, existe controversia por el uso de leña y la generación de contaminantes. En este estudio, se ha evaluado la calidad del aire intramuros y de exposición a PM2.5 y CO en campo en estufas con chimenea, fogones y gas LP. Los resultados incluyen el monitoreo de contaminantes en condiciones controladas durante la preparación de alimentos típicos de la región en diversas tecnologías de cocción, hasta evaluaciones en campo que muestran que existen reducciones significativas en concentraciones de contaminantes por la implementación de estufas de leña bajo un esquema de buenas prácticas de implementación exitosa, que involucra: sensibilización, selección de la tecnología en conjunto con el usuario, capacitación, evaluación-monitoreo, seguimiento en el corto-largo plazo y reemplazo de piezas. Los resultados muestran que el uso adecuado de la leña permite tener concentraciones de contaminantes PM2.5 y CO que cumplen con los lineamientos de la calidad del aire de la Organización Mundial de la Salud.

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Adhérent de l'association francaise du poêle de masse artisanal (AFPMA), artisan poêlier en France et au Mexique depuis 10 ans, je me propose de présenter et décrire la situation économique, normative, mercantile et qualitative du poêle maconné (poêle de masse) en France.
La dynamique portée par l’AFPMA s’inscrit à travers plusieurs axes qui sont en résumé :

- un laboratoire de recherche, aujourd’hui efficient et équipé aux normes européennes construit en vue de réaliser le logiciel français suivant;

- l’édition d’un logiciel de dimensionnement pour décembre 2024.

- la création d’un formation certifiante professionnelle (un CQP) pour janvier 2025.

Enfin, je propose de présenter quelques poêles et cuisinières de masse calculées, certifiées in situ, et co-concues avec mon associé Edgar Tafoya au Mexique.

In Haiti, as in many other parts of the global South, food vendors provide communities with ready-to-eat meals at affordable prices, playing a vital role in food security, especially during disruptions such as wars, pandemics, and other societal stressors. The Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA) is implementing activities that support food vendors to transition to cleaner fuels. Berkeley Air is partnering with CCA to investigate potential impacts of fuel transitions on vendors' livelihoods and gender empowerment (SDGs 8 and 5). Evidence from other locations suggests switching to clean cooking may provide opportunities for households to improve their incomes, and may offer particular benefits to women and girls that promote gender equality. While most of the evidence to date comes from home cooking interventions, it is possible that transitioning food vendors to clean cooking may provide similar impacts. Berkeley Air is conducting qualitative and quantitative research centered on food vendors in communities on Haiti's Southern Peninsula. Some of these vendors are engaged in an NGO-led pilot initiative that is offering vendors a loan to buy a clean cooking system and transition support. In this session, we will present preliminary research results.

The current UNFCCC default value for wood to charcoal conversion is based on literature that does not account for losses along the charcoal value chain. This study establishes a real-world charcoal conversion efficiency by including wood harvesting, transportation, and distribution losses. Aprovecho Research Center developed a new methodology to measure and track mass losses at each stage in the charcoal value chain. Measurements will be taken in two countries, Ghana and Malawi, with 12 kiln runs in each country. The new methodology accounts for uncollected wood left at the harvest site, fines left in the kiln, mass loss during transportation and distribution at retailers, and usable charcoal at the household level. A variety of kiln producers were studied from large-scale professionals, to small-scale part-time producers. This study is currently in progress, but a wood-to-charcoal conversion rate from harvest to household in each country will be reported. The significance of kiln producer experience, transportation methods, and a comparison of production and transport differences between countries will be presented.

Using an EPA Outdoor Air Quality model and the IPCC climate change metrics create a framework that assists the research and development of biomass heating and cooking stoves addressing health and climate.

The UNEP-convened Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) is a partnership of governments, intergovernmental organizations, and representatives of the private sector, the environmental community, and other members of civil society.

The CCAC is the only international initiative working on integrated climate and clean air solutions to reduce the rate of near-term warming. It focuses on fast action to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) including methane, black carbon, HFCs and tropospheric ozone and recently launched the Clean Air Flagship at COP28.

The CCAC Household Energy Strategy is focused on reducing black carbon and methane from cooking, heating, and lighting in rural and urban settings in low and middle-income countries. The CCAC complements international policy and technical mechanisms in this sector by supporting national governments to implement the household energy targets in their NDCs and related policies and commitments (including guidance on monitoring and reporting); working with organizations to incorporate emission reductions into their work; improving scientific communication of the benefits of reducing emissions; and creating local and national awareness of the benefits.

This presentation will inform ETHOS participants of recent CCAC activities, including the recently launched Clean Flagship at a Ministerial with representatives from more than 100 countries, and discuss how they might engage in CCAC initiatives.

The EPA and other regulatory agencies have initiated programs to provide the public with timely information regarding air quality and concentrations of pollutants such as particulate matter (PM). Some of these programs rely on data collected using non-regulatory, low-cost laser PM sensors or optical particle counters. However, the validity of measurements obtained with these sensors is uncertain. Particularly, do they accurately measure ambient PM concentrations? This presentation will describe how advanced computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software and high-performance computing is used to address this question. Simulations of particle-laden flows through simple geometries reveal that PM concentrations vary significantly with position in the geometries considered. Therefore, a PM sensor must be carefully engineered to ensure that the PM concentration measured is representative of ambient PM concentrations. While only simple geometries have been considered at this point, models of complex geometries that closely resemble commercially available sensors are being developed for further studies. It is anticipated that these high-fidelity models will be valuable to those interested in analyzing and optimizing designs for low-cost PM sensors.

Development of cleaner-burning wood stoves requires an understanding of user needs, operation, and performance in real-world settings. As part of a 4-year project sponsored by the US DOE to develop methods for incorporating forced draft into cordwood heaters, Oregon State University and Aprovecho Research Center conducted in-field emissions monitoring during Winter 2023 using stack emissions sampling and the FUEL sensor for fuel consumption monitoring. This talk will highlight the fuel charge and loading frequency, emissions rates, and resulting emission factors measured in a number of rural households in Oregon for a variety of certified and uncertified stove types in comparison to the literature.

Wood heaters with current EPA certification labels have been shown to produce more PM2.5 emissions when operated in real life than during laboratory and certification testing. To better design wood heater stoves, we need to improve our understanding of the people who use wood as a primary source of heat. In this study, we performed a mixed-methods needs assessment comprising web-based surveys, in-person semi-structured interviews, and sensor-based fuel use data collection from people in the US to learn about their habits, needs, and challenges surrounding heating their homes with wood. The goal of this needs assessment was to inform the design and development of a wood heater retrofit device, as well as an in-house testing protocol for use in the retrofit development. This retrofit device is being developed for installation on two stove models without current EPA certification labels in order to reduce their PM2.5 emissions and improve their heating efficiencies.

Manufacturing capacity is a fundamental component of Impact = Performance * Adoption * Scale. On this panel we will hear case studies from manufacturers of varied size and geographic location on what has worked and what hasn't as they have grown their operations. The general audience will better understand the on-the-ground reality of manufacturing in different contexts, manufacturers will gain insight into the opportunities and risks of growth, and funders will better understand what types of support manufacturers really need.

Speakers: Burn Manufacturing, WestWind Energy, Chispa, SSM

In Africa, nearly 900 million people rely on traditional biomass-wood, charcoal, and dung for cooking, perpetuating indoor air pollution, deforestation, and the cycle of energy poverty. Kenya, in particular, struggles with a significant energy deficit, leaving 20 million without access to reliable and affordable energy sources. With over 76% of the population still reliant on traditional biomass, urgent solutions are needed to break this dependence and address the associated environmental and health challenges.

In Africa, nearly 900 million people rely on traditional biomass—wood, charcoal, and dung for cooking, perpetuating indoor air pollution, deforestation, and the cycle of energy poverty. Kenya, in particular, struggles with a significant energy deficit, leaving 20 million without access to reliable and affordable energy sources. With over 76% of the population still reliant on traditional biomass, urgent solutions are needed to break this dependence and address the associated environmental and health challenges.

This presentation proposes a solution by leveraging carbon finance to catalyze the adoption of clean cooking technologies. Recognizing the potential of alternatives like biogas, LPG, and low-carbon biomass, the initiative aims to transform the pristine cooking landscape in Africa. The presentation seeks to establish a financially sustainable ecosystem for clean cooking by tapping into carbon finance mechanisms. The approach involves a dual impact—addressing energy poverty while mitigating environmental degradation. Through a meticulous exploration of carbon finance mechanisms, the presentation will illustrate how the displacement of traditional cooking practices generates carbon credits. This attracts investment, making clean cooking solutions economically viable for households that need them the most. The initiative tackles indoor air pollution and deforestation and presents a transformative model aligning economic interests with environmental sustainability.

The hurdle for Gold Standard and VERRA carbon offset certification for clean cooking projects can be daunting in terms of money, time, and knowledge. For many small projects, the investment is simply not worth it, at least not now. At the same time, while most corporate buyers require strict assurances to avoid the liability associated with making false claims, individuals care less about the precise measurement of carbon emissions and more about doing something to benefit people and the planet.

This presentation is intended for smaller stove project developers to learn about alternative funding streams, how Untonne finds consumers interested in supporting small projects, and the types of assurances those customers are looking for to know that their dollars are making a difference.

StoveTeam International started the oh so fun process of Carbon Validation/Verification using the Verra VCS Methodology. While eventual funding by the generation and selling of verified carbon credits will be essential to the scaling and success of our programming, we see the programming framework that the various CDM standards and guidelines require as possibly even more beneficial to our eventual success in meeting our mission. Many of the intermediate metrics for validating carbon reductions, such as "stoves functioning as intended and in use at end of the year" and "stove stacking factors in project Households" as well as adequate sample sizes are essential for any evaluation of any stove dissemination. Going through the entire carbon verification process is not realistic for many organizations, but we would propose there could be a simplified "best practices" methodology for measuring impact and improving basic stove programming.

In 2017, Gold Standard released a methodology to quantify emissions reductions from black carbon and co-emitted species in terms of CO2e for cookstove projects. Comparisons are drawn between the current “Technologies and Practices to Displace Decentralized Thermal Energy Consumption” methodology and the 2017 Gold Standard add-on, using data from literature and testing at Aprovecho Research Center. Results show increased CO2e savings when quantifying black carbon savings compared to the original methodology. Traditionally, reductions in particulate matter that improve indoor air quality were treated as a co-benefit from cookstove projects. However, quantifying black carbon and other aerosols in the Gold Standard methodology promote pollutant-reducing stove technology. Discussions will focus on the uncertain Global Warming Potential values of short-lived climate forcers and what it means to quantify their greenhouse effect. Arguments will be made for the addition of these aerosols as a way to incentivize health and climate.

Get the update how the Chitofu-type technology concept developed in Malawi for climate-friendly fish processing continues to expand into more countries and diversify according to user's needs regarding size and mobility as well as the type and amounts of fish to be processed. Learn how the new mobile unit first developed in Malawi continues to be a game-changer: dismantled as flight luggage it has allowed easy demonstration of the concept and subsequent dissemination in Eritrea, the Gambia, Zambia, Spain. Thanks to a linkage by Aprovecho to an organization engaged in Mangrove restoration, last December the mobile smoker has been successfully trialed in an island area in Sierra Leone, where the challenge is now to replicate the design with local resources in a resource-restricted island area.
Get the update how the Chitofu-type technology concept developed in Malawi for climate-friendly fish processing continues to expand into more countries and diversify according to user’s needs regarding size and mobility as well as the type and amounts of fish to be processed. Learn how the new mobile unit first developed in Malawi continues to be a game-changer: dismantled as flight luggage it has allowed easy demonstration of the concept and subsequent dissemination in Eritrea, the Gambia, Zambia, Spain. Thanks to a linkage by Aprovecho to an organization engaged in Mangrove restoration, last December the mobile smoker has been successfully trialed in an island area in Sierra Leone, where the challenge is now to replicate the design with local resources in a resource-restricted island area.
In Malawi a catering service has embraced the Chitofu, also selling smoked Tofu and other vegetarian products. In the Gambia larger fixed Nopalé-smokers developed in Senegal have become popular even upcountry. Stay tuned as the journey continues.

The widespread use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for cooking presents a promising avenue to alleviate household air pollution, a critical contributor to adverse health outcomes. However, challenges such as consumer affordability and accessibility hinder its adoption. The SHEAR study is a randomized controlled trial that aims to investigate the impact of substituting traditional household energy sources (biomass and kerosene) with solar power and LPG stoves in rural Rwanda. Over a 3-year period, participants are being monitored for changes in household air pollution exposure, energy usage, and health outcomes. Primary health endpoints will focus on blood pressure in adult women and men, while lung-function growth in children will be a key metric. Secondary health endpoints include blood pressure in children and lung-function changes in adults. The research aims to better elucidate health effects of household air pollution, evaluate the efficacy of a comprehensive household energy intervention in reducing air pollution and improving health, and better understand the relationship between fuel subsidy and adoption. This presentation will deliver an update on the ongoing SHEAR study, offering insights into its current status and lessons learned during the implementation of this data-intensive study.

My presentation summarizes my work beginning in 2007.
It began with my thesis project featuring a cob oven with a supplement power supply from a steam box. I moved from then on to the holey roket stove which evolved to become the TLUD Rocket Hybrid which I call the Patung-patong. My brick ovens started from the rocket oven which evolved to become the Armadillo Oven. I also developed several models of the solar dryer from the basic design to become what I call Solar Dryer in Wings. I also do permaculture gardens, and compost with special attention to biochar.
In 2023, Ron Larson facilitated discussions which matured to become a project to produce char making stoves in support to the works of Kevin Learns at Uganda. Results are expected by January 2024.
All these projects now come together as a project concept I named the Green Carbon Trinity. It is a working system for households to sequester carbon, reduce household wastes, produce fertilizers and biochar, improve the garden soil and produce food for the family. I am now implementing a pilot test of the system for selected eight households in my province of Camarines Norte. Results is expected on March 2024.

Everyone wants to measure emissions from chimney stoves, but most people get overwhelmed by the technical aspects. Follow us on a fun journey through a chimney stove measurement and learn about the procedure, equipment, calculations, and practical considerations. Walk away with a new sense of purpose.

In field tests, about half the particulate matter emissions come from the period before and during ignition. Getting wood to catch on fire is sometimes difficult, especially when the wood has a large diameter. We bring lessons from pyrolysis and fire-safety research and from hundreds of laboratory experiments. We describe the factors that govern the time dependence of mass loss from the wood. About 30% of the mass released, if not combusted or oxidized, turns into particles. Time to ignition decreases approximately with the square root of the heat flux. Time to ignition depends on the wood density and thermal conductivity in theory, but we did not confirm that in practice. The most common orientation of wood in normal use delays mixing between fuel and air. This work gives physical principles behind some of the practices known for cleaner wood combustion.

The LEMS was created to measure emissions from the small wood burning cookstoves that are widely used in the developing world and follows ISO 19867. It is used for certification tests at national laboratories and iterative development at manufacturers. The system consists of a gas and particle analyzer, a modular dilution tunnel, and a hood design. Converting from cookstove to heating stove measurements only requires higher dilution tunnel flow. The analyzer is customizable and runs off of Arduino firmware with Python real-time data plotting. Post processing is done in newly developed, open source Python software. The software integrates data streams from other instruments, calculates metrics and statistics, provides graphing capabilities, and manages a database. Version control and feature requests are done through GitHub. The system can be configured to measure thermal efficiency, health and climate harming gasses, black carbon, temperature, mass flow rates, and pressure. Aprovecho maintains a set of primary calibration standards to minimize LEMS measurement uncertainty. The system was validated against two EPA certified labs during the development of a forced draft pellet heating stove. This talk shows recent data from Aprovecho and should be of value to people interested in designing heating stoves to combat climate change.

“Biochar is a farmer’s best friend” according to thousands of small holders in Malawi, Kenya and neighboring countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Biochars made from crop residues play a crucial role in generating income, ensuring food security, improving soil and animal health. However, there is limited knowledge about biochar and its application outside of the biochar community. This presentation aims to provide the cookstove community with an overview of small scale biochar production and usage, its compatibility with household energy needs, and the emerging potential for revenue generation through carbon dioxide removal in different countries. Engineered and experimental methods of biochar production will be described. Additionally, it will discuss the methods used to monitor and verify carbon dioxide removal, which reward participating smallholders in voluntary carbon markets.

Over the past few months, Burn Design Lab (BDL) has collaborated with IMA and the Osprey Foundation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to enhance their top-lit updraft (TLUD) stove. Our primary objective has been to improve efficiency while mitigating particulate matter (PM) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions. Throughout this period, we've conducted extensive tests, exploring variables such as fuel dimensions, deck shape, secondary and primary air, among others. Additionally, we've experimented with turn-down features to gain valuable insights into the stove's nature.
After rigorous testing, we have successfully identified the optimal configuration with minimal modifications to the original design. Initially, the IMA stove demonstrated an efficiency rating of Tier 2, with PM and CO emissions classified as Tier 3. The latest model, however, has notable improvements, including a Tier 4 efficiency, maintaining Tier 3 PM emissions and achieving Tier 4 CO emissions..
We will delve into the project details in our upcoming discussion, highlighting key findings from our comprehensive testing process.

Report on StoveTeam International's Adoption Task Force.

To better quantify the real-world efficiency of cooking, a study was performed to determine the baseline thermal efficiency of traditional wood and charcoal stoves when in use for cooking meals. The study spanned three countries (Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi) with a total sample size of 720. The Uncontrolled Cooking Efficiency Test (UCET), a novel methodology, was developed and used for the study. The UCET allows testers to measure the thermal efficiency of a stove with minimal influence on what is being cooked and how it is cooked. This method allows for stoves to be tested in real-world conditions under various cooking methods. Data analysis software was developed in Python and was used to efficiently analyze multiple test series over multiple countries. This code framework proves promising for use in future data analysis of emission testing equipment such as the LEMS and PEMS. Preliminary conclusions from the data and metadata collected in this study will be presented including the determined baseline efficiency and potential factors that influence efficiency.