Search Results (17)

The Kitchen God has always been regarded as the protector of Chinese families and one of the most common and far-reaching gods in Chinese folk beliefs. The emergence and development of the Kitchen God are inseparable from the material carrier of the stove. The Han Dynasty was a critical period for the development and integration of stoves and the Kitchen God belief. Based on archaeological discoveries of cultural relics, characters and images, as well as relevant historical documents and records, this paper focuses on the interactive and symbiotic relationship between the spiritual belief in the Kitchen God and the material culture of kitchen stoves and its influence during the Han Dynasty. The Han Dynasty combined stoves with high cooking benches, large stove chambers, multiple burners, and functional designs that incorporated images of the Kitchen God, making them both practical and spiritual. The Kitchen God’s identity and functions were transformed from ancestor to household god, from giving food to monitoring merits and demerits, along with the renewal of stoves. These developments laid the foundation for the Chinese people’s earnest hope for a prosperous life and a peaceful and harmonious family. Full article

Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and particulate matter of 2.5 microns (PM_2.5) are air pollutants that impact health, especially among vulnerable populations with respiratory disease. This study identifies factors influencing indoor NO₂ and PM_2.5 in low-income households of older adults with asthma who use gas stoves in Lowell, Massachusetts. Environmental sampling was conducted in 73 homes, measuring NO₂, PM_2.5, fractional stove-use, temperature, and humidity for 5–7 days. Participants were recruited between December 2020 and July 2022. Questionnaires were used to collect data on factors influencing indoor NO₂ and PM_2.5 concentrations. Daily outdoor NO₂ and PM_2.5 concentrations were obtained from a United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) monitoring station. Paired t-tests were conducted between indoor and outdoor NO₂ and PM_2.5 concentrations, and linear regression was used to evaluate factors influencing indoor NO₂ and PM_2.5 concentrations. The average indoor concentration for NO₂ and PM_2.5 were 21.8 (GSD = 2.1) ppb and 16.2 (GSD = 2.7) µg/m³, respectively. Indoor NO₂ and PM_2.5 concentrations exceeded outdoor concentrations significantly. In multiple regression models, season and pilot light stove use significantly predicted indoor NO₂. Season and air freshener use for 6–7 days/week significantly predicted indoor PM_2.5. Season-influenced higher indoor concentrations are likely due to reduced ventilation in colder months in the Northeast U.S. Full article

Indoor air quality (IAQ) poses a significant public health concern, and exposures to high levels of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) could have detrimental health impacts. This study focused on assessing the indoor air pollutants in a residential house located in the town of Mission, Hidalgo County, South Texas, USA. The PM_2.5 and CO₂ were monitored indoors: the kitchen and the bedroom. This investigation also aimed to elucidate the effects of household activities such as cooking and human occupancy on these pollutants. Low-cost sensors (LCSs) from TSI AirAssure™ were used in this study. They were deployed within the breathing zone at approximately 1.5 m above the ground. Calibration of the low-cost sensors against Federal Equivalent Method (FEM) instruments was undertaken using a multiple linear regression method (MLR) model to improve the data accuracy. The indoor PM_2.5 levels were significantly influenced by cooking activities, with the peak PM_2.5 concentrations reaching up to 118.45 μg/m³. The CO₂ levels in the bedroom increased during the occupant’s sleeping period, reaching as high as 1149.73 ppm. The health risk assessment was assessed through toxicity potential (TP) calculations for the PM_2.5 concentrations. TP values of 0.21 and 0.20 were obtained in the kitchen and bedroom, respectively. The TP values were below the health hazard threshold (i.e., TP < 1). These low TP values could be attributed to the use of electric stoves and efficient ventilation systems. This research highlights the effectiveness of low-cost sensors for continuous IAQ monitoring and helps promote better awareness of and necessary interventions for salubrious indoor microenvironments. Full article

Transitioning to clean cooking fuels is not only part of achieving SDG7 but also makes a significant contribution to mitigating climate change by reducing carbon emissions. Research projects and pilots across a number of countries in Africa and South Asia have been exploring the suitability and energy performance of different cooking appliances and fuels. The paper presents the first statistical analysis across these multiple datasets to determine the range of energy required to cook dishes using different technologies and fuels. The paper draws out distinctions between African and Asian dishes, notably the impact of energy-intensive dishes prepared mostly in Africa. The paper demonstrates that the standard efficiency-based approaches to comparing the performance of stoves are not appropriate to modern electric cooking devices, so a novel alternative approach based on specific energy consumption and termed energy ratios is developed. Charcoal stoves are shown to use 15 times as much energy as electric pressure cookers (EPCs) to cook African dishes, and a detailed review of how the EPC works explains why this should be. Energy ratios provide a basis for estimating carbon emission reductions associated with transitioning to modern cooking fuels and also for estimating household cooking costs. Fuel and electricity prices from studies show that the cost of cooking with an EPC can be only 20% of the cost of cooking with charcoal, which highlights the potential for modern, energy-efficient electric cooking devices to defy the conventional wisdom of the energy ladder. Full article

Global market developments of wooden pellets have led to an increased attention towards pellet quality. ISO 17829 defines the procedure to assess pellets’ geometrical parameters, which play a key role in pellet overall quality. For instance, pellet length influences the spatial arrangement within the stove brazier, affecting the interaction between combustion air and solid biofuel, thus affecting CO emissions. The ISO 17829 method is time-consuming and affected by the operator’s accuracy. Recent studies have investigated the application of new methods, such as image processing, for monitoring the aforementioned parameter. While also assessing the representativeness of ISO 17829’s method, this paper proposes an alternative measuring tool based on image processing named Pellet Length Detector (PLD). Samples were obtained from Italian pellet suppliers and subjected to a multiple dimensional analysis via PLD and caliper. The PLD’s overall performance led to satisfactory results, with only 10% of the samples having a bias between replicates of >2 mm. Compared to caliper, PLD led to an average bias of 0.5 mm. Moreover, a one-way ANOVA highlighted that increasing the sample size between caliper and PLD leads to a greater statistical similarity of the data obtained for different replicates. Given the prototype status of the device, a further performance upgrade is possible, especially through error modeling. Full article

Based on the three-dimensional (3D) steady-state CFD numerical simulations conducted previously on an industrial Kalugin top combustion hot blast stove, a two-dimensional (2D) transient CFD numerical model for a single channel (hole) of a column of checker bricks in the regenerator of the same hot stove was established in the present work. The average mass flowrate and temperature of the flue gas flowing into the checker brick holes during the combustion period predicted by the 3D model were used as the inlet boundary conditions of the 2D model. Inside the hole of the checker bricks, processes of fluid flow and heat transfer of the flue gas during the combustion period and those of cold air during the hot-air-supply period were simulated using the 2D model for multiple operation cycles (combustion and hot-air-supply periods) of the hot stove, enabling rapid predictions of hot-air temperature under different operating conditions. The simulation results show that when the fuel gas flowrate and air consumption coefficient during the combustion period are controlled within the range of 80,000–100,000 Nm³/h and 1.02–1.28, respectively, a hot-air temperature in the range from 1273 °C to 1295 °C can be obtained during the hot-air-supply period. Applying this optimized operating condition to the industrial hot stove investigated in this study can achieve significant effects of reducing fuel gas flowrate by 8.6% and increasing hot-air temperature by 32 °C. In addition, a regression analysis on the numerical simulation results and the data measured from the industrial hot stove yields a roughly linear relationship between the dome temperature during the combustion period and the hot-air temperature during the hot-air-supply period, that is, the hot-air temperature would be increased by about 16 °C for every increment of 10 °C in the dome temperature, for instance. Therefore, the influences of the operating parameters on heat transfer characteristics in the regenerator and on hot-air temperature obtained in the present work provide a useful reference for guiding the hot stove operation optimization to achieve significant energy saving and emission reduction through facilitating more efficient combustion to minimize fuel gas consumption in steel plants. Full article

The adoption of energy-efficient, clean, and safe cookstoves can improve the health of poor sub-Saharan households and reduce mortality and poverty, as identified in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Despite multiple interventions to increase the adoption of improved stoves and clean fuels, few interventions have borne fruit on a significant scale. The lack of adoption is shared in South Africa. (1) Background: The deleterious health hazards associated with flame-based cooking mainly affect women and children due to using portable and cheap paraffin (kerosene) cookstoves or self-constructed metal barrel wood stoves. A shift to improved cookstoves requires significant changes in users’ behaviour. Understanding and addressing the motivations for cookstove adoption and long-term use is critical for successfully implementing behavioural change campaigns. (2) Methods: A case study methodology is employed to evaluate the effectiveness of a behaviour-centred design (BCD) approach aimed at influencing cookstove-related motivations among low-income households in Dunoon, South Africa; the study gathers data via structured observations, co-creative workshops, and card-based choice questionnaires before and after a pilot intervention. (3) Results: The survey conducted before and after the abridged BCD intervention implementation in Dunoon indicates that the majority of touchpoints achieved significant success in influencing the selected cookstove-related motivations of the sampled households, further corroborated by an observed shift in household cookstove ownership patterns targeted by the intervention. (4) Conclusions: A BCD approach suggests possible methods for understanding and influencing the complex motivations determining cookstove use in a context similar to South Africa. The results suggest that linking pertinent motivations to a selected set of touchpoints as part of a cookstove-related campaign can influence cookstove-related motivations linked to the adoption of improved flame-based cookstoves in a localised South African low-income context. Full article

One of the key areas of the UN’s sustainable development goals is growing affordable and clean energy. Utilizing solar energy that is now accessible will significantly lessen the demand for fossil fuels. Around the world, cooking is a crucial activity for homes and uses a lot of non-renewable energy. Uncontrolled firewood usage results in deforestation, whereas using biomass-related fuels in inefficient stoves can result in smoke emanating from the kitchen and associated health issues. The benefits of solar cooking include reducing smoke-related problems and saving on fossil fuels and firewood. Applying thermal storage systems in cooking helps households have all-day cooking. This review article presents the research and development of a solar cooking system that transfers solar energy into the kitchen and integrates with the thermal energy storage system, finding the factors affecting indoor solar cooking performance. Adding portable cooking utensils helps in improved solar indoor cooking. Multiple phase change materials arranged in cascaded to store thermal energy helps in quick heat transfer rate, thus enabling better and faster cooking. A novel indoor solar cooker with an innovative arrangement of evacuated tube-based compound concentrating parabolic (CPC) collectors with a cascaded latent heat thermal energy storage system is proposed and needs to be tested under actual meteorological conditions. Full article

Ordering food through mobile apps and crowdsourcing resources has become increasingly popular in the digital age. Restaurants can improve customer satisfaction to satisfy on-demand food orders by shortening waiting time and achieving sustainability through fuel reduction. In the present study, we construct a double-layer scheduling model, which is developed using the characteristics of on-demand food preparation, including the use of multiple stoves, a variety of dishes in one order, and the integration of the same dishes from different customers. The bottom layer is a multi-stove dish package scheduling model based on parallel machine scheduling. The upper layer is an order selection model based on the knapsack problem. To identify the optimal solution, four strategies for calculating the weight coefficient of the dish package are proposed to shorten the waiting time and realize sustainability. Numerical experiments are designed to analyze the differences of the final scheduling results under the four strategies. The bottom layer is extended to another model based on the vehicle routing optimization model, given the switch time between different dishes. The extension of the model is also compared in the numerical experiments. Our paper confirms the necessity of using a double-layer model for multi-strategy comparison in order to achieve sustainable on-demand scheduling. Full article

Over half of the world’s population lack access to modern energy cooking services (MECS) and instead rely on locally harvested biomass for fuel. The collection and burning of such biomass for cooking have significant negative social, health, economic and environmental impacts and is a major sustainability challenge. The adverse development impacts from households’ continued dependence on polluting stove-and-fuel combinations are significant. Household Air Pollution (HAP) from biomass fuel use accounts for some 4.3 million premature deaths each year, disproportionately affecting women and children. Fuel harvesting and use represent a significant time burden for women and girls. Time savings can be realized through multiple pathways. Understanding the importance of timesaving as a factor in the adoption of clean cooking is thus important in informing the design of cookstove programs and their marketing approach. The systematic evidence evaluation of drivers of and barriers to adoption of modern energy systems undertaken for the World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) was further analysed to create a systematic map of evidence relating to time-saving attributable to the adoption of modern energy systems by traditional fuel users. The umbrella ESMAP evaluation comprised 160 studies, of which 48 are relevant to the current systematic map. Time-saving was gained from (i) a switch from collection to buying fuel; (ii) urban market utilization; (iii) reducing collected fuel quantity; (iv) reducing the distance to fuel collection sites; (v) and reductions of meal preparation time were found as the key drivers/enablers of cleaner energy adoption across the evidence base. Perceptions and recognition of the time-saving benefits of cleaner fuel adoption across studies were reported to be understood for: (i) fuel efficiency; (ii) fuel collection time; (iii) buying fuelwood; and (iv) better household economics. Relatively few studies report on what the time saved was used for; however, those that do investigate timesaving use found that additional time was used for: (i) additional income generation; (ii) professional development; (iii) more cooking (iv) other domestic activities (e.g., learning to sew); (v) eating out; and (vi) leisure activities. While many studies speculate that time is taken away from education, none state that saved time was used for education, beyond employment opportunities or overarching claims of professional development. Full article

Household air pollution (HAP) from biomass cooking with traditional stoves is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) worldwide. Air quality interventions such as improved cookstoves (ICS) may mitigate HAP-related impacts; however, poor understanding of contextual socio-cultural factors such as local cooking practices have limited their widespread adoption. Policymakers and stakeholders require an understanding of local cooking practices to inform effective HAP interventions which meet end-user needs. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to 36 women residing in biomass-cooking fuel households in Kigali, Rwanda to identify cooking activity patterns, awareness of HAP-related health risks and ICS intervention preferences. Overall, 94% of respondents exclusively used charcoal cooking fuel and 53% cooked one meal each day (range = 1–3 meals). Women were significantly more likely to cook outdoors compared to indoors (64% vs. 36%; p < 0.05). Over half of respondents (53%) were unaware of HAP-related health risks and 64% had no prior awareness of ICS. Participants expressed preferences for stove mobility (89%) and facility for multiple pans (53%) within an ICS intervention. Our findings highlight the need for HAP interventions to be flexible to suit a range of cooking patterns and preferred features for end-users in this context. Full article

A traditional use of bioenergy is the main source of residential energy in developing countries, essentially using firewood to cook, boil water or heating affecting people in developing countries. Improved cook stoves are more efficient and less polluting, and there is a need to evaluate different design options to facilitate their adoption. There are different types of very economical improved cookstoves with high combustion efficiency. In Mexico, multiple projects about cook stoves have been carried out, the root of this study being one of them: the Patsari cook stoves. The goal of this project was to modify previous stove designs to align with local people’s habits and traditions. This study shows the importance of including the participation of users in the design of the portable model of Patsari cook stoves, applying the Design Thinking methodology. Many designs or design changes have been carried out on cook stoves by different researchers, but users often do not adapt to them. This article, through a field study, shows the importance of integrating theoretical analyses along with user experiences to facilitate the adoption of improved cook stoves and ensure their success. Full article

Air pollution in Beijing, China has attracted continuous worldwide public attention along with the rapid urbanization of the city. By implementing a set of air pollution mitigation measures, the air quality of Beijing has been gradually improved in recent years. In this study, the intrinsic factors leading to air quality improvement in Beijing are studied via a quantitative evaluation of the temporal and spatial changes in emissions of primary air pollutants over the past ten years. Based on detailed activity levels of each economic sector and a localized database containing source and pollutant specific emission factors, an integrated emissions inventory of primary air pollutants discharged from various sources between 2006 and 2015 is established. With the implementation of phased air pollution mitigation measures, and the Clean Air Action Plan, the original coal-dominated energy structure in Beijing has undergone tremendous changes, resulting in the substantial reduction of multiple air pollutants. The total of emissions of six major atmospheric pollutants (PM₁₀, PM_2.5, SO₂, NO_X, VOCs and NH₃) in Beijing decreased by 35% in 2015 compared to 2006—this noticeable decrease was well consistent with the declining trend of ambient concentration of criterion air pollutants (SO₂, PM₁₀, PM_2.5 and NO₂) and air quality improvement, thus showing a good correlation between the emission of air pollutants and the outcome of air quality. SO₂ emission declined the most, at about 71.7%, which was related to the vigorous promotion of combustion source control, such as the shutdown of coal-fired facilities and domestic stoves and transition to clean energy, like natural gas or electricity. Emissions of PM decreased considerably (by 48%) due to energy structure optimization, industrial structure adjustments, and end-of-pipe PM source control. In general, NO_X, NH₃, and VOCs decreased relatively slightly, by 25%, 14%, and 2%, respectively, and accordingly, they represented the limiting factors for improving air quality and the key points of air pollution mitigation in Beijing for the future. Full article

Millions of people worldwide die prematurely or suffer from severe health ailments due to cooking equipment that causes unhealthy doses of (household) air pollution. Many attempts to address this have fallen short because technology was not improved sufficiently or the way it was introduced constituted an ill fit with the broader “cooking eco-system”. In terms of technology, (biomass) gasifier stoves look promising on all three sustainability dimensions (people, planet, profit) but have not been adopted on a substantial scale across cultures and regions either. We therefore used a design approach that takes multiple contexts (target groups) into account and compared the performance of a gasifier stove that was developed following this multi-context approach with four previous gasifier versions. With the comparative assessment using criteria well beyond mere technological performance we found that it performed better than these versions as well as than what could be expected based on historical learning, while providing additional systemic advantages. These results encourage verification of the value of the multi-context approach in more settings while providing clues for refinement of the assessment method. Full article

The use of solid biomass fuels in cookstoves has been associated with chronic health impacts that disproportionately affect women worldwide. Solid fuel stoves that use wood, plant matter, and cow dung are commonly used for household cooking in rural Bangladesh. This study investigates the immediate effects of acute elevated cookstove emission exposures on pulmonary function. Pulmonary function was measured with spirometry before and during cooking to assess changes in respiratory function during exposure to cookstove emissions for 15 females ages 18–65. Cookstove emissions were characterized using continuous measurements of particulate matter (PM_2.5—aerodynamic diameter <2.5 μm) concentrations at a 1 s time resolution for each household. Several case studies were observed where women ≥40 years who had been cooking for ≥25 years suffered from severe pulmonary impairment. Forced expiratory volume in one second over forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) was found to moderately decline (p = 0.06) during cooking versus non-cooking in the study cohort. The study found a significant (α < 0.05) negative association between 3- and 10-min maximum PM_2.5 emissions during cooking and lung function measurements of forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), and FEV1/FVC obtained during cooking intervals. This study found that exposure to biomass burning emissions from solid fuel stoves- associated with acute elevated PM_2.5 concentrations- leads to a decrease in pulmonary function, although further research is needed to ascertain the prolonged (e.g., daily, for multiple years) impacts of acute PM_2.5 exposure on immediate and sustained respiratory impairment. Full article