Energy, Sustainability and Society最新文献

{"title":"A review of the current potential of European brown seaweed for the production of biofuels","authors":"Gail Twigg,&nbsp;Jeffrey Fedenko,&nbsp;George Hurst,&nbsp;Michele S. Stanley,&nbsp;Adam D. Hughes","doi":"10.1186/s13705-024-00452-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13705-024-00452-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>In addition to the other uses for macroalgae, since the 1970s, there has been interest in using macroalgae as a source of biofuels, due to the high rates of productivity and intrinsic advantages over other biofuel crops such as not requiring land use or significant freshwater input. A wide range of conversion processes exist but anaerobic digestion was one of the first demonstrated and is still a widely proposed conversion pathway. To be economically viable and scalable within Europe, the industry will need to be based on a small number of fast growing, high-yielding European macroalgae species. There is a wide body of scientific work on the conversion of seaweeds to biofuel via anaerobic digestion.</p><h3>Main text</h3><p>These studies demonstrate that the efficiency of this conversion pathway is highly variable between species, processing techniques, composition and digestor conditions. In this paper, we review this body of work specifically linking it to candidate species for European macroalgae bio-energy cultivation with the aim to promote the future development of the European macroalgal cultivation sector and allow for a better alignment with the requirements for biofuel production from macroalgae.</p><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>Overall, anaerobic digestion of seaweed offers opportunities for large-scale energy production which avoids some of the issues that have faced previous generations of biofuels, but there are a number of key challenges to overcome to ensure wider adoption and economic viability. (1) Optimising the biomass production to ensure an economic and uniform feedstock with the composition optimised to increase desirable characteristics such as sugar content and the carbon and nitrogen ratio and to reduce inhibitory factors such as halogenated secondary metabolites, sulphur and heavy metals. (2) Improving conversion rates through co-digestion, pre-treatments and tailored microbial communities, using scalable and economically feasible technology. (3) Developing tailored microbial communities capable of utilising the diverse polysaccharides in seaweed feedstock and being tolerant of the saline conditions associated with them. Addressing these issues will deliver significant benefits towards the development of a bio-energy industry based on the anaerobic digestion of cultured seaweeds.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":539,"journal":{"name":"Energy, Sustainability and Society","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2024-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://energsustainsoc.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s13705-024-00452-5","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140651138","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Retraction Note: Sustainable development economy and the development of green economy in the European Union","authors":"Mert Mentes","doi":"10.1186/s13705-024-00453-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13705-024-00453-4","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":539,"journal":{"name":"Energy, Sustainability and Society","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2024-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://energsustainsoc.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s13705-024-00453-4","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140641694","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Balancing the books: unveiling the direct impact of an integrated energy system model on industries, households and government revenues","authors":"Jan Frederick George,&nbsp;Alexander Marx,&nbsp;Anne Held,&nbsp;Jenny Winkler,&nbsp;Anke Bekk,&nbsp;Mario Ragwitz","doi":"10.1186/s13705-024-00450-7","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13705-024-00450-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>The transition towards a sustainable energy system is reshaping the demand for final energy, driven by the diffusion of new end-use technologies. This shift not only impacts consumers’ energy expenses, but also holds implications for the public budget. Building on data from a German energy transition scenario, we analyse the direct impact of energy costs on industries, low-income households, and changes in government revenues from the taxes and levies on final energy carriers. Our analysis considers the impact of current policies and explores a scenario introducing additional excise tax rates to offset potential revenue losses.</p><h3>Results</h3><p>We found that substantial carbon price increases could generate revenues that offset the losses from excise taxes on fossil fuels while enabling the financing of renewable support from the public budget by the end of this decade. Nevertheless, a decline in government revenues from taxes and levies is anticipated after 2030 until the middle of the century due to the declining use of fossil fuels. Maintaining current excise tax revenues during the transition could be achieved by introducing additional excise taxes on fossil fuels and electricity. Lastly, our analysis indicated a continuous decline in household energy expenditures until 2050, whereas energy-intensive industries face adverse impacts due to decarbonisation.</p><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>This research provides valuable insights into the fiscal implications of the energy transition, shedding light on different industrial sectors and households while considering the evolving impact on the public budget. Policymakers may need to consider systemic reforms or alternative financing mechanisms outside the energy system to balance the books.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":539,"journal":{"name":"Energy, Sustainability and Society","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2024-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://energsustainsoc.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s13705-024-00450-7","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140641678","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spatial and temporal patterns of fuelwood consumption and its associated CO2 emissions in Muzaffarabad division, a western Himalayan region","authors":"Raja Waqar Ahmed Khan,&nbsp;Nimra Nazir,&nbsp;Ansar Mehmood,&nbsp;Seema Qayyum,&nbsp;Hamayun Shaheen","doi":"10.1186/s13705-024-00448-1","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13705-024-00448-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>In the Himalayan region, fuelwood serves as a critical energy source for rural communities. Being vital for meeting energy needs, fuelwood combustion is a source of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emission and, consequently, global warming, as well as deforestation and public health damage. Therefore, quantifying fuelwood consumption patterns and its associated CO₂ emissions is essential to understand the environmental impact and promote sustainable resource management.</p><h3>Methods</h3><p>This research conducts an evaluation of fuelwood burning patterns and the associated CO₂ emissions in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), situated within the western Himalayan region. The study entails an extensive survey of 24 villages representing 240 households, equally distributed between the subtropical and temperate regions, each comprising 120 households. Data collection was executed through a combination of direct queries and the weight survey method, following standard protocols.</p><h3>Results</h3><p>In the study area, the mean annual fuelwood comsumption per household amounts to 24.28 ± 3.1 Mg (or 3.195 ± 1 Mg capita⁻¹). A variance was observed between subtropical and temperate zones, with the latter exhibiting higher consumption rates. The consequential CO₂ emissions were assessed as 41.88 ± 4.5 Mg per household (5.51 ± 0.6 Mg capita⁻¹). On a daily basis, households consumed an average of 66.52 ± 6.4 kg of fuelwood (8.75 ± 1.5 kg capita⁻¹), resulting in a daily CO₂ release rate of 114.745 ± 8.6 kg (15.095 ± 2 kg capita⁻¹). The findings unveiled seasonal variations, indicating increased fuelwood consumption and emissions during the winter season. Statistical analysis shed light on the significance of altitude and family size in shaping the patterns of fuelwood use.</p><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>The results revealed the importance of prioritizing forest conservation and strategically implementing sustainable practices, including reforestation, afforestation, responsible harvesting, and actively promoting sustainable fuel sources. This research highlights the vital role of well-designed policies focused on preserving ecosystems and improving energy management. Policy intervention can ensure the sustainable stewardship of local and regional forest resources.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":539,"journal":{"name":"Energy, Sustainability and Society","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2024-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://energsustainsoc.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s13705-024-00448-1","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140342890","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The role of renewable energy in the energy–growth–emission nexus in the ASEAN region","authors":"Thao Tran,&nbsp;Hung Bui,&nbsp;Anh The Vo,&nbsp;Duc Hong Vo","doi":"10.1186/s13705-024-00446-3","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13705-024-00446-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) relies mainly on fossil fuels in their energy supply, leading to higher CO₂ emissions, pollution, and further environmental degradation. This paper uses the panel vector autoregressive and the Granger non-causality test in the heterogeneous panels, together with long-run estimation techniques, to examine the dynamic link among energy consumption, economic growth, and carbon emissions with the focus on renewable energy for the ASEAN countries in the past three decades.</p><h3>Results</h3><p>The findings from this paper indicate that carbon emissions are associated with energy consumption. In contrast, renewable energy usage reduces CO₂ emissions, improving environmental quality. Economic growth is associated with increased energy consumption and carbon emissions in the ASEAN countries. The findings also indicate that the effects of energy consumption on economic growth are more significant than those of renewable energy in ASEAN. When considered together, these findings form a vicious circle regarding the energy–growth–emission nexus for the ASEAN economies. In addition, a bidirectional Granger causality among energy consumption, economic growth, CO₂ emissions and renewable energy usage is confirmed.</p><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>Renewable energy has emerged as an important viable option for the ASEAN nations to achieve their dual objectives of enhanced economic growth, reduced CO₂ emission, leading to improved environmental quality.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":539,"journal":{"name":"Energy, Sustainability and Society","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2024-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://energsustainsoc.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s13705-024-00446-3","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140188492","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Adaptive capability and socioecological traps: a bioenergy case in communities of Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico","authors":"María del Rosario Reyes-Santiago,&nbsp;Ana Elizabeth Maruri Montes de Oca,&nbsp;Victor Olalde Portugal,&nbsp;Maribel Hernández-Rosales","doi":"10.1186/s13705-024-00445-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13705-024-00445-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>Energy poverty, which is the deprivation of a series of energy services that satisfy human needs, affects over 2 billion individuals who rely on the combustion of biomass and other solid fuels to fulfill their energy needs. While certain communities address their energy shortfall by harnessing local natural resources, these alternatives fail to provide access to more advantageous and sustainable conditions, thus leading to what are commonly referred to as socioecological traps.</p><h3>Results</h3><p>This research studies the relationships between the energy alternatives that two communities have developed, the bioenergy capability that would allow the system to access more desirable and sustainable states, and the costs and benefits that are perceived from this new use of their residues and resources. A quantitative methodology was employed by designing and applying a structured questionnaire applied to 207 households in two energy-poor communities in the municipality of Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico: San Agustín de los Tordos and El Comedero Grande. We have inferred that the alternatives generated by the communities function as socioecological traps. On the one hand, these options generate adverse effects on the health of people and the environment, while discouraging the construction of bioenergy capabilities; on the other hand, they allow them to cover some training costs, at least in the short term. These discoveries suggest that the system is currently in an advantageous phase of the cultivation of new capabilities.</p><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>The outcomes of this study contribute significantly to enhancing our comprehension of socioecological traps and capabilities within the realm of energy, thereby offering valuable insights for the effective management of successful bioenergy implementation initiatives. Moreover, these findings enable the development of frameworks for theoretical interpretation and methodological application within specific contexts, exemplified in our case by rural communities in Irapuato, Guanajuato Mexico. The holistic approach reveals that while individuals may have alternatives to fulfill their energy requirements, many of these alternatives can inadvertently become socioecological traps. For instance, the use of firewood as a short-term solution for household energy needs can generate adverse health and environmental consequences in the long run. In the light of these considerations, a study of their nature becomes imperative and relevant as it delves deeply into the intricate relationship between compensatory alternatives and capacities. Simultaneously, it scrutinizes the community’s perception of bioenergy in terms of costs and benefits, with the overarching goal of transitioning toward a sustainable energy system.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":539,"journal":{"name":"Energy, Sustainability and Society","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2024-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://energsustainsoc.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s13705-024-00445-4","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140135302","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Stakeholders’ perceptions of hydrogen and reflections on energy transition governance","authors":"Cristina Parente,&nbsp;Francisca Teixeira,&nbsp;Jorge Cerdeira","doi":"10.1186/s13705-023-00429-w","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13705-023-00429-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>There is a race to innovate, develop or create hydrogen production technologies to accelerate energy transition and create a hydrogen economy. Acceptance has been used in social science literature as a lens through which to anticipate possible challenges surrounding hydrogen technologies. However, very few studies problematize perceptions and focus on the production of hydrogen. Hence, this study aims to bridge these theoretical and empirical gaps using a mixed-method approach based on semi-structured interviews (<i>n</i> = 7) and a questionnaire survey (<i>n</i> = 73) to understand stakeholders’ perceptions of hydrogen production sources through a social construction of technology lens.</p><h3>Results</h3><p>The findings suggest a tendency to favor hydrogen produced from renewable sources and to reject hydrogen produced from non-renewable sources. All the examined groups conform to this pattern. Their perceptions are based on prior knowledge of hydrogen technologies, with participants seeking information from specialized sources or from activities promoted by their organizations. Participants anticipate that hydrogen will be generated primarily through renewable energy sources and utilized where direct electrification is unfeasible. In addition, they envisage that the hydrogen economy will enhance energy democracy through representative participation in decision-making. Nevertheless, it is acknowledged that the topic is limited to certain social groups and kept away from the public eye. Furthermore, unlike the benefits, the perception of risk appears to have no impact on perceptions’ construction. High confidence in science appears to minimize the recognition of potential risks and bolster the recognition of potential benefits. There is, however, a lot of uncertainty about the possible real impacts of the hydrogen economy.</p><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>There appears to be a collective perspective on hydrogen production sources, indicating the existence of social representations. Nevertheless, group attitudes and backing towards hydrogen vary. The participants identify hydrogen as a matter that remained unnoticed for over a decade, despite its prominent position in the policies and economic approaches of numerous countries. The topic has been relegated to third parties. This exclusion of civil society from decision-making may justify the NGO group's critical stance towards hydrogen. Moreover, it suggests that energy democracy, which is based on information dissemination and participation, is not being achieved.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":539,"journal":{"name":"Energy, Sustainability and Society","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://energsustainsoc.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s13705-023-00429-w","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140014946","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Production of low emission briquettes from carbonized faecal sludge as an alternative source of cooking energy","authors":"Paulo Martin Sanka,&nbsp;Olivier Germain,&nbsp;Leyla Khalifa,&nbsp;Hans Komakech,&nbsp;Hezron Magambo","doi":"10.1186/s13705-024-00449-0","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13705-024-00449-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>In Tanzania, firewood, charcoal, and agricultural waste play a crucial role in daily life as sources of cooking energy, especially in rural areas. Using these energy sources contributes to deforestation and the emission of harmful substances, leading to health problems. This study highlights the potential of faecal sludge briquettes as an innovative, environmentally friendly, and sustainable alternative to traditional energy sources to meet the increasing demand for cooking energy in Tanzania. The process involved sludge characterization, drying, sorting, carbonization, milling, briquette making, and characterization.</p><h3>Results</h3><p>A study was conducted to assess the presence of zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) in faecal sludge collected from households. The results indicates that the levels of these metals were all within the acceptable limits set by the Tanzanian Standards (TZS) for sludge disposal and use in the environment, which are 5.00 mg/L, 5.00 mg/L, and 30.00 mg/L, respectively. Septic tanks and pit latrines sludge had a concentration of 0.5 mg/L and 0.5 mg/L for Zn, 0.55 mg/L, and 0.6 mg/L for Cd, and 10.01 mg/L and 4.87 mg/L for Pb, respectively. Adding 75% charcoal dust improved the gross and net heating values from 10.47 and 10.16 to 19.29 and 18.86 MJ/kg, respectively. Similarly, adding 50% charcoal dust improved the gross and net heating values to 19.24 and 18.78 MJ/kg. The emission of particulate matter (micrograms/m³) was reduced from 30.4 and 35 to 10.3 and 11.8 for PM_2.5 and 7 and 8 for PM_10, while carbon monoxide emission decreased from 51.2 to 19.7 ppm.</p><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>The results strongly suggest that briquettes made of carbonized faecal sludge mixed with other biomass materials could offer an alternative to traditional solid fuels, with the added benefits of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and longer burning times.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":539,"journal":{"name":"Energy, Sustainability and Society","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2024-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://energsustainsoc.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s13705-024-00449-0","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139916684","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ecological, financial, social and societal motives for cooperative energy prosumerism: measuring preference heterogeneity in a Belgian energy cooperative","authors":"Fijnanda van Klingeren,&nbsp;Tine De Moor","doi":"10.1186/s13705-024-00444-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13705-024-00444-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>Energy cooperatives in Europe have become more prominent due to the growing interest in and development of renewable energy sources. Cooperatives are often seen as an instrument in the transition to a low-carbon future. The cooperative <i>prosumer</i> is gaining importance, taking on the role of both consumer and producer by setting up and joining electricity cooperatives as investors, shareholders and clients. As is the case with other cooperatives and social enterprises, there are tensions and trade-offs to be made between social, ecological and financial goals. To navigate these tensions and to work towards becoming a resilient institution, it is important that cooperatives preserve their support base made up of their members, who are both clients and shareholders. This study investigates the preference heterogeneity and motivations of members of a large energy cooperative in Belgium, by using stated-choice data from a Discrete Choice Experiment in combination with self-reported membership motives.</p><h3>Results</h3><p>Despite the significant presence of member preferences for participation and democratic voting rights, the financial and above all the ecological motives seem to be most important for being a member of the energy cooperative. Based on the stated-choice data, we classify three member types: the financial, the ecological and the social–societal member type. We find a small discrepancy in motives between members who joined early and members who joined later. Where early members care most about ecological aspects, members who joined later have more societal and financial considerations. In terms of effect size and willingness to pay per kilowatt hour, ecological motives prove to be by far the most important factor for cooperative energy prosumers in our sample. In addition, the latent-class analysis shows that over half of the member sample belongs to the ecological motives class.</p><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>Preference heterogeneity is present to an extent, but there is an overarching preference for sustainability. Though, cooperatives should be aware that their legal form may not be the only factor that drives membership. Rather, keeping high levels of renewable energy, competitive pricing and being an interesting investment opportunity may be key to cooperatives’ resilience and further development on the energy market.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":539,"journal":{"name":"Energy, Sustainability and Society","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2024-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://energsustainsoc.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s13705-024-00444-5","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139727635","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Performance comparison of three prototype biomass stoves with traditional and Mirt stoves for baking Injera","authors":"Asfafaw Haileselassie Tesfay,&nbsp;Kibreab Tsegay,&nbsp;Mulu Bayray Kahsay,&nbsp;Mesele Hayelom Hailu,&nbsp;Muyiwa Samuel Adaramola","doi":"10.1186/s13705-024-00443-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13705-024-00443-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p><i>Injera</i> is food consumed daily by Ethiopians like bread and rice in other parts of the world. Biomass stoves are used to bake <i>Injera</i> in most rural households. The unsustainable use of fuelwood causes deforestation. Improved cook stoves such as <i>Mirt</i> (name in local language) were introduced to replace traditional stoves and save fuel wood. This study presents a performance comparison of three newly developed prototype biomass stoves with traditional and <i>Mirt</i> stoves. The prototype stoves were made with a clay pan (designated MUC: Mekelle University prototype with clay pan), with a glass pan (MUG) and with an aluminum pan (MUA). Controlled cooking tests were conducted for each type of stove to determine the thermal efficiency and specific fuel consumption.</p><h3>Results</h3><p>The thermal efficiencies of the traditional, <i>Mirt</i>, MUC, MUA and MUG stoves were found to be 14%, 17%, 21%, 29% and 32%, respectively. Similarly, the percentage fuel wood savings by <i>Mirt</i>, MUC, MUA and MUG compared to the traditional stove were 32%, 48%, 64% and 67%, respectively. The results indicate that the prototype stoves had significantly better performance compared to the traditional and <i>Mirt</i> stoves.</p><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>The prototype stoves have the potential to reduce fuel wood consumption by more than half of that currently consumed employing traditional stoves. In addition to the economic benefit of saving fuel wood, the improved stoves will have significant environmental implication. Based on the fuel saving figures, it is estimated that 0.4, 0.5 and 0.52 tons/year of fuel wood may be saved per household adopting MUC, MUA and MUG stoves, respectively.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":539,"journal":{"name":"Energy, Sustainability and Society","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2024-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://energsustainsoc.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s13705-024-00443-6","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139523394","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}