Carbon Emission Reduction Potentials of Improved Biomass Cookstoves Used in Gambella Refugee Camps, Southwest Ethiopia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25729/esr.2026.02.0005Keywords:
Emission reduction, Gambella, Improved biomass cookstoves, Refugee, WBTAbstract
Biomass fuels, particularly firewood, remain a primary source of energy for households cooking and heating needs in many developing countries. The excessive reliance on biomass fuels and inefficient traditional cookstoves produces substantial amount of smoke, contributing to indoor air pollution, deforestation, climate change, and productivity losses. Therefore, this study focuses on carbon emission reduction potential of improved biomass cookstoves used in Gambella refugee camps and compares it with that of traditional open-fire stove. For this study, a Water Boiling Test (WBT) was carried out at the laboratory level. The most commonly used improved biomass cookstoves and the three-stone traditional cookstove were selected for the assessment and comparison. The emissions of greenhouse gases (CO, CO2, and particulate matter) from each stove were used as indicators for comparison. The results reveal that the traditional three-stone open-fire, Clay (User Centered Design-UCD), Flexy, and Tikikil stoves are the preferred biomass cooking technologies used by most refugees. The performance model showed a significant reduction in greenhouse gases and/or pollutants (CO2, CO, and PM2.5) concentrations. The use of one Flexy stove could cut the emissions of CO2e by 1.21 tons per year, while Clay and Tikikil demonstrate annual reductions of 1.15 tons and 0.96 tons of CO2e per stove, respectively. The average CO concentration for the three-stone stove was 1 105 ppm, while for improved biomass cookstoves (ICS), it stood at 370.3 ppm. Particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions from Flexy, Clay, Tikikil, and Traditional cookstoves were recorded as 329, 339, 337, and 614 mg, respectively. These findings demonstrate that improved biomass cookstoves produce less smoke, mitigating both environmental and health effects. Consequently, concerned organizations should promote and monitor the adoption of improved biomass cooking stoves for the refugees to protect individuals from negative impact of traditional three-stone cookstoves.
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