Field Testing of Alternative Cookstove Performance in a Rural Setting of Western India

Veena Muralidharan,Sneha Limaye,Patrick Breysse,Sundeep Salvi,Shyam Biswal,Thomas Sussan,D'Ann Williams,Ana Rule,Kirsten Koehler,Sanjay Juvekar

doi:10.3390/ijerph120201773

Abstract

Nearly three billion people use solid fuels for cooking and heating, which leads to extremely high levels of household air pollution and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Many stove manufacturers have developed alternative cookstoves (ACSs) that are aimed at reducing emissions and fuel consumption. Here, we tested a traditional clay chulha cookstove (TCS) and five commercially available ACSs, including both natural draft (Greenway Smart Stove, Envirofit PCS-1) and forced draft stoves (BioLite HomeStove, Philips Woodstove HD4012, and Eco-Chulha XXL), in a test kitchen in a rural village of western India. Compared to the TCS, the ACSs produced significant reductions in particulate matter less than 2.5 µm (PM2.5) and CO concentrations (Envirofit: 22%/16%, Greenway: 24%/42%, BioLite: 40%/35%, Philips: 66%/55% and Eco-Chulha: 61%/42%), which persisted after normalization for fuel consumption or useful energy. PM2.5 and CO concentrations were lower for forced draft stoves than natural draft stoves. Furthermore, the Philips and Eco-Chulha units exhibited higher cooking efficiency than the TCS. Despite significant reductions in concentrations, all ACSs failed to achieve PM2.5 levels that are considered safe by the World Health Organization (ACSs: 277–714 μg/m3 or 11–28 fold higher than the WHO recommendation of 25 μg/m3;).

Highlights

3 billion people, or nearly half of the world’s population, currently use solid fuels such as wood, crop residues, animal dung and coal for cooking and heating
The walls of the test kitchen were made of bricks and cement, the roofing material was made of asbestos sheets without any eave spaces, and the floor consisted of mud coated with cow dung
Natural draft stoves (Envirofit and Greenway) did not reduce concentrations to the same extent as the forced draft stoves did, they still resulted in substantial reductions in PM2.5 and CO concentrations compared to the traditional clay chulha cookstove (TCS)

Summary

Introduction

3 billion people, or nearly half of the world’s population, currently use solid fuels such as wood, crop residues, animal dung and coal for cooking and heating. The combustion of such fuels results in exceptionally high levels of household air pollution (HAP), which has been identified as the leading environmental risk factor for cause of death worldwide [1]. Among various sources of HAP, burning of biomass fuels for cooking purposes is most widely recognized as a risk factor for respiratory, cardiovascular, ocular, and neurological diseases [2]. There is a disproportionate burden of disease among women and children due to their household roles, causing greater exposure to indoor smoke

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