[Stoves] Kenya: To use or not to use fuelwood?

Tue Mar 21 14:22:19 CDT 2017

Dear Crispin, 
You are right! - Kerosene and water don't mix (immiscible) and the water condensate at the bottom of the pot came from the burning of 25 ml of kerosene. When I reduced the amount of kerosene to 15 ml and applied it to only half of the kindling, the problem of water vapour condensing at the bottom of a pot (or wok) disappeared. I think a little waiting time for the kerosene to burn off before placing the pot on the stove helps prevent the problem as can be seen in the video and photos below. 

Cooking Performance of Eco-Kalan Stainless Steel TLUD Stove, Nilat-an, March 13, 2017 

https://youtu.be/oUbbiEcN7Rc 

Cooking Performance of Eco-Kalan Stainless Steel TLUD Stove, Nilat-an, March 13, 2017 

https://goo.gl/photos/F2b9smQ1Vi8gS3AW6 

Many thanks, 

Rebecca 

From: "Crispin Pemberton-Pigott" <crispinpigott at outlook.com> 
To: "REBECCA VERMEER" <ravermeer at telus.net>, "DISCUSSION OF BIOMASS COOKING STOVES" <stoves at lists.bioenergylists.org> 
Sent: Saturday, March 18, 2017 4:18:29 PM 
Subject: RE: Kenya: To use or not to use fuelwood? 

Dear Rebecca 

You are seeing the condensation of water vapour produced by burning the H in the CxHy which is kerosene. 

Kerosene (paraffin) is about C 9 H 20 to C 20 H 42 , with a typical average of C 16 H 34 . The H number is (C number x 2 + 2). To H’s make a water molecule when burned with 1 Oxygen atom. 

So burning one molecule of mid range kerosene creates 16 CO 2 and 17 H 2 O. 

The colt water in the pot condenses the water vapour (at least for a while this happens). I don’t think there is any water in your kerosene. They are immiscible (don’t mix). The water would sit on the bottom in a silvery bubble. 

I think if you shake it very hard it might make a brownish foamy mess but the water will settle again. 

Wood contains a great deal of Hydrogen that turns into water vapour, plus of course the fuel moisture. Both can condense on a cold pot. 

Regards 

Crispin 

From: Stoves [mailto:stoves-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org] On Behalf Of Rebecca A. Vermeer 
Sent: 17-Mar-17 12:50 
To: DISCUSSION OF BIOMASS COOKING STOVES <stoves at lists.bioenergylists.org> 
Subject: Re: [Stoves] Kenya: To use or not to use fuelwood? 

Philip tells of an ethanol stove and fuel that had such high water content that it condensed on the bottom of the pot. It dripped on the fire and extinguished it! 

Yes, test first. Never assume anything. 

Thanks, Crispin for sharing Philip's experience with water adulterated ethanol. I had a similar experience with water adulterated kerosene which I used as fire starter in my stainless steel TLUD stove You provided the answer to a perplexing result of a cooking performance test. See the video below: 

WATER IN KEROSENE 

https://youtu.be/SftieyN4DNw 

Rebecca 

From: "Crispin Pemberton-Pigott" < crispinpigott at outlook.com > 
To: "DISCUSSION OF BIOMASS COOKING STOVES" < stoves at lists.bioenergylists.org > 
Sent: Sunday, March 12, 2017 6:23:56 PM 
Subject: Re: [Stoves] Kenya: To use or not to use fuelwood? 

Thanks Philip for that confirmation. 

I have tested some terrible ethanol stoves as well, proving once again that it is only a good fuel-stove combination that delivers clean performance. 

I have also tested an ethanol stove that had acceptable CO, but when the small pot was replaced with one three times the size, it altered the air flow through the burner and tripled the CO production. 

Philip tells of an ethanol stove and fuel that had such high water content that it condensed on the bottom of the pot. It dripped on the fire and extinguished it! 

Yes, test first. Never assume anything. 

Regards 

Crispin still chuckling 

“ Sugar cane-based ethanol is a processed biofuel which is convenient and can be burned very cleanly (test, don’t assume)” said Crispin 

It CAN be, but test first. I tested one ethanol “clean burning” stove which built centimetre-deep mounds of soot on the pot within minutes. Clean burning absolutely requires good fuel/air mixing before combustion. 

Prof Philip Lloyd 

Energy Institute, CPUT 

SARETEC, Sachs Circle 

Bellville 

Tel 021 959 4323 

Cell 083 441 5247 

PA Nadia 021 959 4330 

From: Stoves [ mailto:stoves-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org ] On Behalf Of Crispin Pemberton-Pigott 
Sent: Saturday, March 11, 2017 7:33 PM 
To: Discussion of biomass cooking stoves 
Subject: Re: [Stoves] Kenya: To use or not to use fuelwood? 

Dear Stovers who want to have a clue about fuelwood combustion 

This is a quote from the article linked below: 

“At the household level, the key issues to consider are women’s and children’s health. Indeed, World Health Organisation studies show that one hour of using firewood has the same health impacts as smoking a packet of cigarettes.” 

Of the many untrue things written in the article, this is probably the most outrageous, and that is really saying something. 

The exposure one gets from a single cigarette is about 45 milligrams of PM2.5. The exposure in the worst home tested by Fresh Air in Kyrgyzstan in the past 4 months, which has terrible indoor air pollution in most low income homes, was 6000 micrograms per cubic metre. That is 20 times the exposure in Beijing on a bad ‘orange alert’ day. The exposure of a Kenyan cook is very unlikely to be as high as that and I invite researchers to show that it is indeed as high as 6000 for one hour per day, on average. 

Next, to be exposed to the same level of PM2.5 as a pack of 20 cigarettes (45 x 20 = 900 mg or 900,000 µg) one would have to inhale 150 cubic metres of such air in an hour, or 150,000 litres. To do that in an hour would require about 6000 people! 

As the health effect on a human from cigarette smoke is far worse than wood smoke, let’s call it 10,000 people to be safe. If an exaggeration of 10,000-fold is not alarming enough, consider all the other unsupportable ‘climate’ assertions thrown left and right in this piece. Good grief why can’t people just promote their products on their merits without linking it to all the junk-topics-of-the-hour. 

CleanStar’s product makes perfectly good sense and has a viable business plan. Sugar cane-based ethanol is a processed biofuel which is convenient and can be burned very cleanly (test, don’t assume). It can be produced at scale and distributed at lower cost and at greater convenience than LPG. So….just do it. 

For those who don’t know Sagun, he was one of the judges in the TerraWatt Prize competition held by National Geographic a couple of years ago. The organiser of that competition was so inspired by the experience he has moved to Mozambique to try to fill in a gap created when CleanStar moved to Kenya. 

May they both succeed. 

Regards 

Crispin 

Using Efficient Methods to Manage Fuelwood is the Key 

By MILLICENT MWOLOLO 

To use or not to use fuelwood?- http://www.nation.co.ke/lifestyle/DN2/kenya-fuel-use-or-not-to-use-fuelwood/957860-3838414-ra9sgf/index.html 

In Summary 

Woodfuel releases carbon fumes into the air, adding to the carbon footprint and global warming. This has resulted in global climatic change, which is also being witnessed in Kenya in the form of higher temperatures, prolonged droughts and dry spells. 

Though new to the local market, ethanol has gained wide use in Mozambique because it is clean and efficient, comparable to LPG. CleanStar Ventures has conducted market research primarily in urban households that confirms the convenience and safety of ethanol. 

The Kenya Forestry Service (KFS), the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (Kefri), and ICRAF, among others, are working with farmers on managing trees for woodfuel. They promote the harvesting of mature stems, growing of acacia trees for charcoal and managing trees in drylands. 

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