ABSTRACT
The optimal use of plant-based biowastes to fulfill daily domestic energy requirement is emphasized in this study, with a modest attempt to reduce the global energy crisis and environmental pollution. Thermal and emission performances of an improved metallic cookstove (IMS) are compared with those of a traditional mud stove (TMS) using the laboratory-based controlled water boiling test (WBT). Efficient and clean use of renewable biowastes as fuel in domestic cooking using abundantly available palm shells, peanut shells, and acacia pods in coastal Odisha is emphasized. For the TMS, the average thermal efficiency (TEavg) varied from 11.25% ± 2.11% to 15.58% ± 1.26%, whereas for the IMS, it ranged from 20.57% ± 1.962% to 25.24% ± 1.74%. The IMS produced highest efficiency when palm shells were used as fuel. The specific fuel consumption (SFC) was observed significantly lower in case of the IMS than in the TMS for all the three biowastes. A significant reduction (60%–70%) in CO emission was noticed in the IMS compared to that in the TMS with all the three plant-based biowaste fuels under consideration.
