[Stoves] AGWA (Ag Waste) TLUD Cookstove - 2 USD in Uganda

[K McLean]

Stovers,

Since there has been some recent discussion about the agwa, it's time for
an update.

The agwa is a crude TLUD cookstove designed to burn crop waste and to be
affordable to the very poor.  It can make biochar but it is a cookstove
first.

Design and use are discussed here
<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vi2DU_dYwMeY8TRHlz72d7Y8BrTb-OjhZGh5Tw7TMZs/edit?usp=sharing>
.

[image: Metal Agwa with Dimensions.jpg]
               [image: Grate with Dimensions.jpg]

For this size agwa (23x30 cm), the tinsmith starts with two sheets of
metal, 72x30 cm and 22x22 cm.  He can make the agwa and the grate with
cuts, bends and two welds.  Tinsmiths in Uganda make and sell the agwa for
about 2 USD.

We have tested with maize cobs and stalks, banana stems and peels and
bamboo.  All work very well if dry.  Can someone test with rice straw?

Cobs and bamboo produce char if quenched when the fire goes out.

When batch fed only, cooking lasts 20-40 minutes, enough for many
meals.  Fuel can be added to extend the cooking session.

The fire is hotter than wood in three-stone.  Women like that it cooks
faster.  And, the stove needs little to no tending unless/until more fuel
needs to be added.

The testers have observed less smoke than using wood in a three-stone with
rock bed.  There is almost no smoke after the start.  Cooking with crop
waste in an open-fire cookstove is typically a very inefficient, smoky
activity.

There is no means to control primary air.  Please suggest a way to do this
without much added cost or complexity.

Women who see the agwa are very interested in it, though we are early in
field testing.  In two regions in Uganda, we have given 200 agwas to self
help group (SHG) leaders.  They have been asked to share their agwa with
their SHG members and to tell their members where to buy an agwa.  We will
survey the SHG leaders in a few weeks.

My hope is that the agwa will enable women to shift from nonrenewable fuel
(wood) to renewable fuel (crop waste).  And, we intend to train smallholder
farmers to make and use biochar.

All suggestions for improvement are welcome.

Thank you,
Kevin

*Kevin McLean, President*
*Sun24*

*https://sun24.solar <https://sun24.solar>  Sun24 Cookstoves Overview
<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZryS7gQ1q3zKLZPM2KcXdtIHbOYQp4PbloPqMvrlZ5Y/edit?usp=sharing>*
*Tampa, Florida, USA*
*+1 (813) 505-3340*
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