Which Biomass Stove(s) Capable of Reducing Household Air Pollution Are Available to the Poorest Communities Globally?

Biomass use and its health effects among the vulnerable and marginalized refugee families in the Gaza Strip

Introduction

Biomass fuel remains the most common type of fuel used in many developing countries, leading to indoor air pollution and serious health impacts.

Objective

The objective of this study was to compile evidence on the impact household fuel combustion has on child and adult health, with an emphasis on solid fuel use in Gaza.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, 110 structured self-administered questionnaires were distributed in April 2019 among families living in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp.

Results

Participants reported that the main fuel used were wood, coal, cardboard, and a mix of wood, cardboard, and plastic, which were used for cooking, heating, baking, boiling water, and lighting. The most common symptoms were nasal irritation (71.8%), followed by headache (66.4%) and dizziness (65.4%). The results of logistic regression showed that the participants who used wood fuel had a higher chance of feeling eye irritation than those who used a mix of wood, cardboard, and dried grass (OR = 1.316; 95% CI = 1.54-8.99). The participants who opened windows during the burning process of biomass fuel were five times more likely to develop pneumonia than those who closed windows (OR = 5.53; 95%CI = 11.60-19.0).

Conclusion

there is an urgent need for community awareness campaigns designed to inform people about the risks of exposure to biomass fuel smoke and how to better implement household ventilation.

Improving Combustion Technology for Cooking Activities for Pollutant Emission Reduction and Carbon Neutrality

Inefficient residential solid fuel combustion contributes significantly to ambient and indoor air pollutants. It consumes large quantities of fuel and produces harmful effects on health. Improvements in residential biomass cooking stoves have great potential for energy savings and emission reduction. This study presents an advanced biomass gasifier cooking stove to overcome the disadvantages of high-pollutant emissions from widely used stoves in China. The most innovative features of the stove are (1) negative pressure produced by a jet fan located at the junction of the chimney, and (2) combustion and carbonization processes taking place in the same chamber. Compared with a traditional chimney stove, the advanced biomass gasifier cooking stove presented higher TE (thermal efficiency) and comprehensively lower pollutant emissions when raw crop straws, crop straw briquettes, and pellets were burned in it. Approximately 40% CO2 and 90% of PM2.5 (the aerodynamic diameter was less than or equal to 2.5 μm) EFs (emission factors) were eliminated, and TE drastically tripled. Furthermore, biomass briquette/pellet was identified as more suitable than raw biomass as a fuel to be burned in the new stove, especially because the raw biomass displayed an increase in the EFs of As, Se, and Pb when burned in the new stove. The advancement in biomass cooking stove technology is a practical approach to reducing the emissions of CO2, PM2.5, and other hazardous pollutants.