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  Where there's smoke...In Third World countries, wood stoves occupy a critical place in everyday life. They provide heat and are used to boil water and cook meals. Yet they are also notoriously inefficient and sometimes dangerous. Bryden’s specialty is analyzing stoves to create mathematical models of how well they work and suggest improvements. “If you look at the number of people who use stoves to meet daily energy needs, you’re talking about two billion to three billion people,” Bryden said. “We tend to focus on health and food needs, and energy drops off the map.” Last September, Bryden traveled to Cottage Grove, Oregon, to conduct research at the Aprovecho Research Center. Staff at Aprovecho study and teach elements of eco-centered lifestyles, and one of the group’s missions is to improve life in the Third World. While at Aprovecho, Bryden analyzed stoves collected by the group, spending his nights in the upscale confines of a nearby monastery. Back at his biomass laboratory at Iowa State, Bryden studied stoves ranging from configurations of tin cans to one made out of clay and donkey dung. Then, in March, Bryden and his 16-year-old son, Ben, traveled to Nicaragua in conjunction with Aprovecho. There, they lived in a barrio, Bryden studying stoves and his son serving as translator. “About 83 percent of Nicaraguans in urban areas use wood for energy, and the number is 97 percent in rural areas, so wood is a very important commodity,” said Bryden. “Any ability to increase efficiency will not only save money but also reduce pollution and ill-effects on health.” Bryden and Aprovecho hope to procure funding in order to manufacture and distribute fuel-efficient stoves in Nicaragua and elsewhere; but, as Bryden said, “It’s hard to get money for research to help poor people.” An open fire, Bryden said, is about 10 percent to 15 percent efficient. Many Third World stoves are 20 percent. Through tests in the field and at his lab, Bryden is trying to bring that efficiency up to 30 percent or more. “We came back with more enthusiasm about the project,” Bryden said. He and Dean Still, the appropriate technology coordinator of Aprovecho, are proposing papers for the International Stoves Conference in Pune, India, in November. Bryden also hopes to find funding for a graduate student to spend time at Aprovecho’s center and for additional travel to Nicaragua. |
