💾 Archived View for retrace.club › ~mycorrhiza › posts › 20220510_rocket_stoves.gmi captured on 2022-07-16 at 14:21:40. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
⬅️ Previous capture (2022-06-03)
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“Rocket stoves” are wood-burning stoves that reach high temperatures (around 900° C), resulting in “near total combustion” of the fuel. This means that they release less smoke and lower levels of carbon monoxide (and other dangerous gasses), which makes them both safer and more pleasant to use.
The key components of a rocket stove are an insulated vertical combustion chamber and a side-loading feeder, through which fuel (consisting of small-diameter sticks) is continually added to the fire. Both features allow the fire to burn hotter, as the fuel opening also increases the rate of air flow into the fire.
It may not be a common practice in richer nations, but people throughout the world still rely on burning wood for heating and cooking. Inefficient stoves not only require more fuel, but they subject the people using them to higher levels of dangerous particulate matter and gasses. Much of the research being done on rocket stoves is focused on getting them into the hands of folks in poor countries, with the intention of improving population health.
All wood stoves release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. However, when combined with responsible management techniques, such as relying on coppiced or pollarded trees for fuel, wood burning can be incorporated into a sustainable (and “carbon neutral”) lifestyle. It’s worth noting that the small-diameter branches produced by coppiced trees make ideal fuel for a rocket stove.
This small booklet is worth checking out; it also includes some designs for solar ovens and other cooking technologies. I’m keen to try using a “haybox” to make soup during hot summer months.
—2022-05-10T13:34Z
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