ABSTRACT
In this chapter, several types of –xed bed combustors for solid fuels are considered: biomass cookstoves, biomass space heating stoves, and large grate burning systems for coal and biomass.
Cooking –res and cookstoves are some of the earliest technologies developed by humankind. The simplest way to boil a pot of water is to lay a small pile of burning sticks on the ground, surround them with three stones, and then rest the pot on the stones. To fry or grill meat, you need only hang the meat on a stick over a pile of burning sticks. The fuel for cooking is often locally available and includes wood, agricultural wastes, dung, and charcoal. Today the household chore of gathering wood and cooking on an open –re is repeated on a daily basis by one-third of the world’s people. It is surprising, therefore, that we have not yet developed a low cost, sustainable, locally maintainable cooking system for developing countries. As a result, for one-third of the world’s population, the simple act of cooking and heating a home promotes deforestation and increases the risk of disease and injury.
