Micro-gasification for household cooking is a relatively young development. The principle was invented in 1985 and the first commercial micro-gasifier was available in 2003. Recently many more people are becoming aware of the concept and the potential of micro-gasification. New developments come up virtually every day.
This book is about biomass micro-gasifiers that are small enough for domestic use as heat-generating combustion units in cook-stoves and heating applications. The focus is on „gasifier stoves‟, which is the combination of a micro-gasifier combustion unit and a heat-transfer unit for effective transfer of the generated heat into a cook-pot.
This handbook is a first systematic overview on micro-gasifiers for cooking energy
a) For project planners and conceptionists: to give them an overview on the numerous technologies and applications of micro-gasification including the risks, benefits and potential of micro-gasifiers.
b) For project implementers and practitioners: to provide entry points for them to get started in testing, adapting and disseminating micro-gasifiers.
c) For researchers: to give feedback on open issues and questions they can take up to bring micro-gasification a step forward.
d) For skeptics who fear the risks and doubt the benefits: to provide them some food-for-thought
This handbook is a compilation of the current state of the art of micro-gasification, which is still very much in its infancy but growing up fast.
As a work-in-progress, it is hoped to inspire more experience-creation on the ground that can help to spread micro-gasifiers and contribute to exciting new developments. Any reader is encouraged to provide feedback so that new developments can be incorporated in the regular updates of this handbook.
The content is structured into the following modules:
1) „Wood-gas‟ from biomass and its application for cooking
2) Technologies and applications of micro-gasification to cookstoves
3) Feedstocks and fuels for micro-gasification
In the Annex there is a ‘Bonus track‘ on Biochar: How cooking on pyrolytic gasifiers can mitigate climate change and enhance agricultural production (by Kelpie Wilson from the International Biochar Initiative)
This white paper can be downloaded from here – http://www.gtz.de/de/dokumente/giz2011-en-micro-gasification.pdf
