Indoor air quality impacts of an improved wood stove in Ghana and an ethanol stove in Ethiopia

June 30, 2009 · 0 comments

David Pennise, Simone Brant, Seth Mahu Agbeve, Wilhemina Quaye, Firehiwot Mengesha, Wubshet Tadele, Todd Wofchuck,

Indoor air quality impacts of an improved wood stove in Ghana and an ethanol stove in Ethiopia,  IN: Energy for Sustainable Development, In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 24 May 2009, ISSN 0973-0826, DOI: 10.1016/j.esd.2009.04.003.

This study was undertaken to assess the potential of two types of improved cookstoves to reduce indoor air pollution in African homes.  An ethanol stove, the CleanCook, was tested in three locations in Ethiopia: the city of Addis Ababa and the Bonga and Kebribeyah Refugee Camps, while a wood-burning rocket stove, the Gyapa, was evaluated in Accra, Ghana. 

In both countries, kitchen concentrations of PM2.5 and CO, the two pollutants responsible for the bulk of the ill-health associated with indoor smoke, were monitored in a before and after study design without controls.  Baseline (`before’) measurements were made in households using a traditional stove or open fire. `After’ measurements were performed in the same households, once the improved stove had been introduced. PM2.5 was measured using UCB Particle Monitors, which have photoelectric detectors.  CO was measured with Onset HOBO Loggers. In Ghana and Kebribeyah Camp, CO was also measured with Gastec diffusion tubes.

In Ghana, average 24-hour PM2.5 concentrations decreased 52% from 650 [mu]g/m3 in the ‘before’ phase to 320 [mu]g/m3 in the ‘after’ phase (p = 0.00), and average 24-hour kitchen CO concentrations decreased 40% from 12.3 ppm to 7.4 ppm (p = 0.01).  Including all three subgroups in Ethiopia, average PM2.5 concentrations decreased 84% from 1 250 [mu]g/m3 to 200 [mu]g/m3 (p = 0.00) and average CO concentrations decreased 76% from 38.9 ppm to 9.2 ppm (p = 0.00). 24-hour average CO levels in households using both the Gyapa and CleanCook stoves met, or nearly met, the World Health Organization (WHO) 8-hour Air Quality Guideline. PM2.5 concentrations were well above both the WHO 24-hour Guideline and Interim Targets.

Therefore, despite the significant improvements associated with both of these stoves, further changes in stove or fuel type or household fuel mixing patterns would be required to bring PM to levels that are not considered harmful to health.

Effect of chimneys on indoor air concentrations of PM10…

June 30, 2009 · 0 comments

Linwei Tian, Qing Lan, Dong Yang, Xingzhou He, Ignatius T.S. Yu, S. Katharine Hammond

Effect of chimneys on indoor air concentrations of PM10 and benzo[a]pyrene in Xuan Wei, China. IN: Atmospheric Environment, Volume 43, Issue 21, July 2009, Pages 3352-3355, ISSN 1352-2310.

This paper reports the effect of chimneys in reducing indoor air pollution in a lung cancer epidemic area of rural China. Household indoor air pollution concentrations were measured during unvented burning (chimneys blocked) and vented burning (chimneys open) of bituminous coal in Xuan Wei, China.  Concentrations of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 10 [mu]m or less (PM10) and of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) were measured in 43 homes during normal activities.  The use of chimneys led to significant decreases in indoor air concentrations of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 10 [mu]m or less (PM10) by 66% and of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) by 84%.  The average BaP content of PM10 also decreased by 55% with the installation of a chimney.  The reduction of indoor pollution levels by the installation of a chimney supports the epidemiology findings on the health benefits of stove improvement.  However, even in the presence of a chimney, the indoor air concentrations for both PM10 and BaP still exceeded the indoor air quality standards of China. Movement up the energy ladder to cleaner liquid or gaseous fuels is probably the only sustainable indoor air pollution control measure.

Choices concerning household energy use in India

June 30, 2009 · 0 comments

Heidi Elizabeth Staff Mestl, Gunnar S. Eskeland,

Richer and healthier, but not Greener?  Choices concerning household energy use in India. IN: Energy Policy, Volume 37, Issue 8, August 2009, Pages 3009-3019, ISSN 0301-4215, DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2009.03.053.

India is among the world lowest per capita greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters, but rapid increases are expected. At the same time, World Health Organization (WHO) estimates show that 424,000 die prematurely in Indian households each year from air pollution exposure due to solid fuel use. We analyze GHG emissions and health through three policy scenarios for household energy, using projections for population, income and urbanization. In policy scenarios called Business as Usual (BAU), Improved Health, and Green Future, projected per capita household GHG emissions in 2026 increase by 169%, 164% and 139%, respectively, compared to 2001, whereas household mortality rates decrease by 45%, 67% and 45%, respectively. Due to income growth and urbanization, an increase in GHG emissions is likely inevitable, but can be slowed. For health, in contrast, improvements are expected and can be expanded.

India – Effects of biomass combustion smoke on hematological and antioxidant profile among children

June 29, 2009 · 0 comments

 Inhal Toxicol. 2009 Apr 7.

Effects of biomass combustion smoke on hematological and antioxidant profile among children (8-13 years) in India.

Padhy PK,  Padhi BK. Centre for Environmental Studies,  Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan, India.

The use of solid biomass fuel in traditional stoves has been associated with respiratory symptoms of chronic airway inflammation and higher rates of respiratory infections. The mechanisms of such associations remain unclear. In this study we examine the association between exposures to indoor pollution and the hematological and antioxidant profile in children. We found increases in the respiratory symptoms “cough without cold” [odds ratio (OR) 4.27; 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.00-4.95], “cough in the morning” (OR 3.80; CI 2.40-5.15), and “wheeze” (OR 3.60; CI 2.75-5.0) in children living in homes used solid biomass for cooking after adjustment for potential confounder variables. Children who lived in the households that cook with traditional biomass fuels had low hemoglobin and red blood cell (RBC) values, but raised white blood cell (WBC), neutrophil, and eosinophil counts. Furthermore, we examined the ascorbic acid, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione/oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG) ratio levels in the blood of the subjects and observed low levels of ascorbic acid (AA), SOD, and GSH/GSSG ratio in children lived in biomass used households. These findings suggest that the biomass smoke has the potential to produce oxidative stress and adverse health effects in children. There is much more work needed to confirm our conclusions. Investigating the mechanisms underlying air pollution-induced health problems would allow a more targeted approach to remove the most toxic components of air pollution, and could possibly provide a means to decrease individual sensitivity to air pollution.

Mexico – Improved Biomass Stove Intervention: Impact on the Respiratory Health of Women

June 29, 2009 · 0 comments

Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2009 Jun 25.

Improved Biomass Stove Intervention in Rural Mexico: Impact on the Respiratory Health of Women.

Romieu I, Riojas-Rodríguez H, Marrón-Mares AT, Schilmann A, Perez-Padilla R, Masera O. Environmental Health Department, National Institute of Public Health (INSP), Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico.

RATIONALE: Exposure to biomass smoke has been related to adverse health effects. In Mexico, one household in four still cooks with biomass fuel, but there has been no evaluation of the health impact of reducing indoor air pollution. 

OBJECTIVE:  To evaluate the health impact of the introduction of an improved biomass stove (Patsari) in Mexican women.

METHODS:  A randomized controlled trial was conducted in the Central Mexican state of Michoacán. Households were randomized to receive the Patsari stove or keep their traditional open fire. A total of 552 women were followed with monthly visits over 10 months to assess stove use, inquire about respiratory and other symptoms and obtain lung function measurements. Statistical analysis was conducted using longitudinal models.

RESULTS:  Adherence to the intervention was low (50%). Women who reported using the Patsari stove most of the time compared to those using the open fire had significantly lower risk of respiratory symptoms (RR 0.77, 95% CI 0.62-0.95 for cough and RR 0.29, 95% CI 0.11-0.77 for wheezing) adjusted for confounders. Similar results were found for other respiratory symptoms as well as for eye discomfort, headache and back pain. Actual use of the Patsari stove was associated with a lower FEV1 decline (31 mL) compared to the open fire use (62 mL) over 1 year of follow up (p=0.012) for women 20 years and older, adjusting for confounders.

CONCLUSION:  Use of the Patsari stove was significantly associated with a reduction of symptoms and of lung function decline comparable to smoking cessation.

Cambodia – Phnom Penh Municipality Encourages Improvements in Urban Indoor Air Quality

June 25, 2009 · 0 comments

Results of the SEA-UEMA funded joint action research (JAR) project implemented by the Development Appropriate Technology (DATe) in Cambodia on improving indoor air pollution among urban poor households has generated interest among stakeholders, especially the Municipality of Phnom Penh.

This was expressed by His Excellency Mann Chhoeurn, Vice-Governor of the Municipality of Phnom Penh (MPP), during the final consultation workshop on improving indoor air quality held in Phnom Penh. The workshop was organized by DATe and was based on the results of the JAR entitled Indoor Air Pollution as a Reflection of Gender and Poverty Issue – a Study on Women, Health Behaviour Patterns and Kitchen in Phnom Penh. Thirty stakeholders from various related government agencies and non-government organizations as well as from the study.

Mr. Chhoeurn provided information and insights on the municipality’s concerns for the environment related to urban poor communities.  Thus, he said that the MPP is interested in the JAR results as a basis for policy decisions in reducing indoor air pollution for better health conditions especially for women and children.  Currently, Phnom Penh has no instrument or mechanism to measure the level of air pollution in the kitchen.  Mr. Chhoeurn said that the MPP is willing to conduct pilot projects based on the JAR results in resettlement areas where new housing units are being built. He expressed support and willingness of MPP and the communities to work together with DATe, SEA-UEMA Project and other interested organizations in making this possible.

He suggested that an action plan for a pilot project to improve indoor air quality with target dates and identified responsibilities should be presented to the MPP so that this can be included in their work and budget plans.  The plan should define the kind of cooking facilities, educating housewives, and providing loans for the appropriate facilities, structure and stoves.

He also said his office can provide loans for cooking facilities under the Urban Planning Development Fund, in line with MPP’s emphasis on improving the Cambodian capital to achieve the millennium development goals and in living up to the 2007 World Leadership Award given to Phnom Penh for Local Environment Renovation.

Link to source article

Kenya – Western Gasifier Stove Project

June 25, 2009 · 1 comment

For additional information on this project, contact: Salim Shaban, E-mail: salimshaban2005@gmail.com
African Christians Organization Network, P.O BOX 323 -Bungoma 50200, Kenya
TEL: +254-727 621841/ +254-723 313210 /+254 55 30059

PROJECT – Focal Area: Reducing indoor air Pollution and forest Conservation Activity Category: Learning by Doing Project.

Proposed project Duration: Two Years.

GOAL OF THE PROJECT – To promote energy conservation and reduce deforestation in the sugar cane growing in Western Kenya.
.Specific Objectives
– To Promote TLUD gasifier cookstoves and five biogas planter in Western Kenya
– To provide and service 20,000 TLUD gasifier cookstoves and 5,000 fireless stoves..
– To train 150 women and youth groups in production, repair and sale of energy saving equipment
– To train schools and communities on energy conservation and use of renewable energy technologies.
– To develop an energy equipment workshop for production, service and sale of improved cook stoves and energy saving equipment.
PROJECT AREA – Western Kenya has a population of over 5 million people of which 80% depend on agriculture for livelihood and over 70% use firewood as fuel source. A survey has shown that all boarding schools use firewood and charcoal as fuel for cooking hence pressure on forest cover. Sugar cane growing in Mumias, Malava and Bungoma is a heavy user of trees as firewood. This combined has led to heavy exploitation of forests and trees for firewood hence a danger to the water catchments area.
DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT ACTIVITIES – This project will be implemented at community level. The project will involve installation of 5 biogas plants in institutions, TLUD gasifier cookstoves, and training in energy efficiency for schools, CBOs, women and youth groups. 150 women and youth groups will be trained at the project workshop in Matungu and will be involved in hands on production, repair and design of energy saving equipment promotion of the concept of total energy houses and homesteads will be promoted. An energy equipment workshop will be developed and equipped. To facilitate monitoring, evaluation reporting and information exchange energy network within the Nile Basin will be formed.

India – Award Winning Ethanol Lantern/Stove for Rural Areas

June 24, 2009 · 0 comments

Ethanol Lantern cum Stove for Rural Areas, by Anil K. Rajvanshi, Director,
Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute, PHALTAN-415523, Maharashtra, India. E-mail: nariphaltan@gmail.com

It is a matter of shame that even 61 years after independence about 60% of rural population in India has no electricity and they use ancient kerosene lantern for lighting. Besides in quite a large number of rural households the only light is from the cook stove (chulha). Lighting which is the basic necessity and a fundamental need of humans is missing from the life of majority of rural population.

Without adequate lighting the lives of these people cannot be improved and India cannot join the developed nation’s league. Besides the poor light output kerosene lanterns also produce soot and other pollutants in the confined space of rural households leading to serious lung ailments. Thus there is a need to develop a light source which runs on locally produced fuel, is environmentally friendly and produces bright light equivalent to that from a 100 W electric bulb.

This paper presents one such lantern running on low grade ethanol fuel which also doubles up as a cooking stove thereby solving the twin problems of cooking and lighting for rural households. Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) is the first to propose and develop a dual purpose lantern (christened lanstove) running on 55-60% ethanol-water mixture.

Link – Ethanol Lantern cum Stove for Rural Areas (pdf)

Globe Award 2009 – Sustainable Research Award (YouTube)

Market Barriers to Clean Cooking Fuels in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Review of Literature

June 23, 2009 · 0 comments

Market Barriers to Clean Cooking Fuels in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Review of Literature, 2008. (pdf, 1.2MB)

Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI).

“This working paper assesses the full range of modern-fuel alternatives, and discusses the main market barriers – which are economic, social and political – to their uptake. In the developing nations of sub-Saharan Africa, providing households with modern energy services is a critical step towards development. A large majority of households in the region rely on traditional biomass fuels for cooking, which represent a significant proportion of energy used in the domestic setting. The disadvantages of these fuels are many: they are inefficient energy carriers and their heat is difficult to control; they produce dangerous emissions; and their current rate of extraction is not sustainable for forests. Transition to clean cooking fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) or ethanol would resolve many of these issues as they do not produce dangerous particulate emissions, and are commercially viable, offering a number of socio-economic advantages over traditional options.

Despite the benefits of fuel switching, clean cooking fuels are rarely used in households in sub-Saharan Africa. Their failure to attain widespread use can be attributed to a number of market barriers. One of the major issues is cost: clean cooking fuels are prohibitively expensive for many households, and the high price of compatible stoves further discourages their use. Besides the expense, many consumers are hesitant to adopt the new technology, reflecting the lack of public awareness of the relevant issues. At the same time, Africa’s underdeveloped infrastructure prevents these fuels from being made available in many local marketplaces. To date, this combination of factors has largely stifled the transition to clean cooking fuels.

National governments can adopt a number of strategies to address these issues. The creation of clean cooking-fuel initiatives at the national level would be an important first step, after which governments can begin to address the issues more effectively. The introduction of relevant financial instruments would help to tackle the economic barriers to clean cooking fuels, and public outreach and education could overcome socio-cultural obstacles. Through such a policy framework, national governments can play a significant role in encouraging the transition to clean cooking fuels.” (Source: SEI website)

Mexico – Quantification of carbon savings from improved biomass cookstove projects

June 23, 2009 · 1 comment

Environ Sci Technol. 2009 Apr 1;43(7):2456-62.

Quantification of carbon savings from improved biomass cookstove projects.

Johnson M, Edwards R, Ghilardi A, Berrueta V, Gillen D, Frenk CA, Masera O.

Department of Epidemiology, School of Medicine, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California 92697-3957, USA.

In spite of growing interest, a principal obstacle to wider inclusion of improved cookstove projects in carbon trading schemes has been the lack of accountability in estimating CO2-equivalent (CO2-e) savings. To demonstrate that robust estimates of CO2-e savings can be obtained at reasonable cost, an integrated approach of community-based subsampling of traditional and improved stoves in homes to estimate fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, combined with spatially explicit community-based estimates of the fraction of nonrenewable biomass harvesting (fNRB), was used to estimate CO2-e savings for 603 homes with improved Patsari stoves in Purépecha communities of Michoacán, Mexico.

Mean annual household CO2-e savings for CO2, CH4, CO, and nonmethane hydrocarbons were 3.9 tCO2-e home(-1) yr(-1) (95% Cl +/- 22%), and for Kyoto gases (CO2 and CH4) were 3.1 tCO2-e home(-1) yr(-1) (95% Cl +/- 26%), respectively, using a weighted mean fNRB harvesting of 39%. CO2-e savings ranged from 1.6 (95% Cl +/- 49%) to 7.5 (95% Cl +/- 17%) tCO2-e home(-1) yr(-1) for renewable and nonrenewable harvesting in individual communities, respectively.

Since emission factors, fuel consumption, and fNRB each contribute significantly to the overall uncertainty in estimates of CO2-e savings, community-based assessment of all of these parameters is critical for robust estimates. Reporting overall uncertainty in the CO2-e savings estimates provides a mechanism for valuation of carbon offsets, which would promote better accounting that CO2-e savings had actually been achieved.

Cost of CO2-e savings as a result of adoption of Patsari stoves was U.S. $8 per tCO2-e based on initial stove costs, monitoring costs, and conservative stove adoption rates, which is approximately 4 times less expensive than use of carbon capture and storage from coal plants, and approximately 18 times less than solar power.

The low relative cost of CO2-e abatement of improved stoves combined with substantial health cobenefits through reduction in indoor air pollution provides a strong rationale for targeting these less expensive carbon mitigation options, while providing substantial economic assistance for stove dissemination efforts.

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