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Emission Performance and User Acceptance of a Catalytic Biomass Cookstove in Rural Guatemala
journal contribution
posted on 2019-02-11, 09:13 authored by Alex D. Paulsen, Charity Garland, Javier Lascurain, Tyler A. Kunsa, Madeleine Rossanese, Kristie Jagoe, Andrew L. Carpenter, Adolfo Méndez-Vides, Samantha Delapena, Paul E. YelvingtonA catalytic
rocket stove was developed to reduce emissions and
improve efficiency compared to open cooking fires or traditional semienclosed
cookstoves, called poyos, typical of rural Guatemala. Traditional
stoves often emit particulate matter and carbon monoxide at sufficient
levels to cause respiratory illnesses and other health problems. Using
focus group results, the stove was tailored to the needs of Guatemalan
cooks. Field trial participants were provided with stove training
to ensure that stoves were operated correctly. Somewhat surprisingly,
the field trial demonstrated a high level of user acceptance in rural
Guatemala, where users cooked 93% of the time with the catalytic stove
despite having to change some cooking practices. In the field trial,
the stove reduced emissions by as much as 68% and improved fuel efficiency
by as much as 61% during real-world cooking events relative to the
traditional poyo. An additional qualitative portion of the field study
identified strengths and weaknesses of the stove that are being addressed
as part of an iterative design process.