Traditional Cookstoves

In Ghana, about 73% of households rely on solid fuels for cooking. Over 13,000 annual deaths are attributed to exposure to indoor air pollution from inefficient combustion. In this study, assessment of thermal efficiency, emissions, and total global warming impact of three cookstoves commonly used in Ghana was completed using the International Workshop Agreement (IWA) Water Boiling Test (WBT) protocol. Statistical averages of three replicate tests for each cookstove were computed. Thermal efficiency results were: wood-burning cookstove: 12.2 ± 5.00% (Tier 0); coalpot charcoal stove: 23.3 ± 0.73% (Tier 1–2); and Gyapa charcoal cookstove: 30.00 ± 4.63% (Tier 2–3). The wood-burning cookstove emitted more CO, CO 2 , and PM 2.5 than the coalpot charcoal stove and Gyapa charcoal cookstove. The emission factor (EF) for PM 2.5 and the emission rate for the wood-burning cookstove were over four times higher than the coalpot charcoal stove and Gyapa charcoal cookstove. To complete the WBT, the study results showed that, by using the Gyapa charcoal cookstove instead of the wood-burning cookstove, the global warming impact could be potentially reduced by approximately 75% and using the Gyapa charcoal cookstove instead of the coalpot charcoal cookstove by 50%. We conclude that there is the need for awareness, policy, and incentives to enable end-users to switch to, and adopt, Gyapa charcoal cookstoves for increased efficiency and reduced emissions/global warming impact.

This study was carried out to assess the short-term exposure to respirable particulate matter (PM2.5) from biomass combustion. A total of 24 households were sampled from two rural villages in Lilongwe, viz Nsabwe and Bauleni villages. Levels of particulate matter were measured using a portable gas detector. Indoor mean concentrations of PM2.5 ranged from 457 to 698 µg/m 3 , with no significant difference between the two villages, suggesting exposure to similar levels. The observed levels are far above the recommended WHO limit for indoor air, posing a great health risk, more especially to women and children who frequently visit the cooking areas. There is therefore need to widen appropriate intervention measures to reduce the current levels of indoor air pollution in the rural areas.