[Stoves] Jatropha fruit as fuel? Pellet vs. whole seed

[Bjarne Laustsen]

Dear Jonathan

I also like you find that burning Jatropha directly in a cookstove will 
be a good idea. It was also me that first got that idea. Our Jiko Bomba 
cookstove are still a very good good stove for burning Jatropha seeds.

However at present I do not advocate for burning whole Jatropha seeds in 
a cookstove, this has there reasons:

Health risk.

We know Jatropha oil is poisonous. I have personally experienced getting 
headache when testing cookstoves burning Jatropha seeds. Other have told 
me that they have got the same experiences.

I have not been able to find information on the health risk from gasses 
from incomplete combustion of evaporated Jatropha oil gases. That means 
we have no information on the health risk people will be exposed to by 
using cookstoves burning Jatropha seeds.

As long as we do not have such information I do not personally find it 
right to promote such stoves.

I would very much like if studies on these issue could be carried out, 
but I am not aware of such studies are going on.

Outreach.

Quantities of Jatropha seeds are still limited. There could maybe be 
some 100,000 ton of Jatropha seeds in Tanzania for colletion. Of these 
at least half will be bought up by companies for pressing Jatropha oil. 
That leaves in best case scenario 50,000 ton of Jatropha seeds for 
burning in Jatropha cookstoves,

to cover for 50,000 households fuel needs.

On the other hand we know there are between 15 million to 20 million ton 
of agricultural residues produced annually in Tanzania. The livestock 
eat some of these and other will go to waste. However this is still an 
energy source that utilized as pellets could produce energy for all 
Tanzanian households cooking need. So I find more perspective in the 
pellet option.

Jatropha as a cash crop.

I will still maintain that most farmers will not burn Jatropha seeds as 
they see them as a cash crop. Jonathan writes: /is it not time that we 
stopped taking such male perspectives as a given that cannot be changed, 
and start working to relieve women (and the environment) of the burdens 
of firewood as the main source of domestic energy in rural areas? /

I would wish it was so, but neither you or me or some else can change 
such attitude it will take long time, so this is wishful thinking.

I will here not make comments to what Jonathan writes about the historic 
development of the Jiko Safi and Jiko Bomba, and neither on their 
performances. I will neither comment on our company Kiwia & Laustsen 
Limited's grant funding or our economy in pelleting. I do not find it 
appropriate to take such discussion in this forum.

Yours
Bjarne Laustsen

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