Emission factors and thermal efficiencies of cooking biofuels from five countries

The aim of the study was to compare the environmental and thermal performance of cooking biofuels from five countries. The standard water boiling test was used to determine thermal parameters. The fuels were burnt in a metal stove in a test chamber in accordance with standard protocol. Low-flow air samplers were used for particulate matter measurements, both TSP and RSP. Later, benzo(a)pyrene was determined using the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique after extraction from particulate samples in benzene. CO was measured using an electronic datalogger and HCHO using a passive sampler. The ventilation conditions during the experiments were manipulated by using different combinations of doors, windows and fans to ensure minimum stratification of pollutants in the chamber. The indirect method of deriving emission factors was used. Levels of most of the pollutants measured was found to be higher than that reported by previous studies, especially that of benzo(a)pyrene. The thermal efficiency was found to be in the range 10–15%. The emission per task of RSP was 0.27–0.77 g and that of B(a)P in RSP was 1.87–4.17 mg.