Mitigation of Forestation using Fuel-Saving Appliances

Abstract

<title>Abstract</title> In this study, appropriate energy-saving cooking technologies were identified via comparison with traditional cooking technologies in the study area, Zenzelima <italic>Kebele</italic>, Amhara region, Ethiopia. Primary and secondary data were collected through different data collection tools, such as interviews, questionnaires, observation, and focus group discussion (FGD), and compiled reports were also reviewed as secondary data. For this observation, the sample size was taken as 60 households in the <italic>kebele</italic>. From this feasibility study, it was determined that the dominant fuel type was firewood, for which the percentage was 75%. According to the results of experimental performance tests and different research reviews, the efficiency of cookstoves was 10%, 25%, 48%, 50%, 54%, and 76% for 3-stone, <italic>lakech, mirt, gonze, tikikil</italic>, and pyrolysis stoves, respectively. From the total number of households <italic>with kebeles, i.e., 1986 households,</italic> only 87 households used improved cook stoves, and the rest used 3-stone stove types. The study showed that the highest fuel consumption rate and cooking time were observed for the 3-stone stove, and the lowest fuel consumption rate and cooking time were observed for the pyrolysis stove. The improvement stove reduced emissions, and the highest emission reduction stove was the gasifier stove, with a magnitude of 1.229 tons CO₂/HH/Year. The majority of the societies did not utilize the biochar from the cook stoves. However, biochar is very important for soil amendment. Among cooking stoves, gasifier stoves have a great advantage in terms of the production of energy and biochar. The statistical analysis indicated that fuel consumption and cooking time are linearly related.