Enhancing household energy efficiency in Cameroon: Development and assessment of a wood gasifier cookstove

This study evaluates a wood gasifier cookstove to enhance household energy efficiency in Cameroon. The methodology involved collecting data on temperatures and emissions, mainly carbon monoxide (CO), to assess the stove's efficiency and emission reduction compared to traditional three-stone fires. The cookstove reduces boiling time by around 50 % compared to the traditional three-stone fire, from 17 to 8.33 min in cold-start mode and from 16 to 7.67 min in hot-start mode. Its thermal efficiency improves by 60 %, reaching 18.14 % compared to 11.28 % for the three-stone fire, indicating better conversion of wood energy into helpful heat for cooking. This leads to a 31.5 % reduction in wood consumption, using 1.72 kg of wood instead of 2.51 kg for the same cooking task, resulting in financial savings from 87.85 FCFA (€0.13) to 60.2 FCFA (€0.092). Carbon monoxide emissions are significantly reduced, enhancing indoor air quality and minimizing health risks. An integrated heat recovery system heats water using the stove's waste heat, with a heat recovery efficiency of 34.72 %. These findings show that the wood gasifier cookstove is a faster, more efficient, and cost-effective alternative to traditional cooking methods. It reduces fuel consumption, pollutant emissions, and pressure on wood resources. Further research is needed to optimize the heat recovery system, integrate other biomass fuels, and assess long-term sustainability and household adoption.