Infrared biological gas stove: A technology, many benefits

In order to utilize straw, firewood, rice husk, sawdust, etc. available in rural Vietnam, the research team includes Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Tat Khuong, MSc Hoang Duc Trong, MSc Nguyen Tung Cuong and Nguyen Manh Ha of the Research Center. and developing the region (now the Regional Research and Development Institute - Ministry of Science and Technology) has improved the infrared bio-gas stove, also known as a hybrid wood stove with gas stove, using agricultural by-products. This type of stove is rated in accordance with the size of Vietnamese households, contributing to rural environmental protection.

Infrared bio-gas stove takes advantage of available fuel

Currently on the Vietnamese market, in addition to modern types of stoves such as gas stoves, electric stoves, and stoves, there are still types of stoves that use traditional fuels such as rice husks, firewood, and straw. The types of electric, gas and oil stoves have the advantage of being convenient to operate, but the high cost and the use of energy are non-renewable fossil resources, causing environmental pollution. Traditional burning stoves such as firewood, coal, sawdust, rice husk . have the advantage of using available fuel, cheap price, but low energy use efficiency, generating more dust and toxic gases such as CO, SO ₂ , Nox affect human health.

Besides, in our country there are currently two types of gas stoves that use fuel as agricultural by-products: direct gas cookers and stoves create gas and transfer that gas out to heat on one or more burning parts. Direct gas cookers are cheaper, suitable for low-income people and residents of rural areas, where agricultural by-products are plentiful. However, this type of stove has some disadvantages such as each time to open fuel to turn off the stove; cannot be burned at the same time on multiple burners. Meanwhile, the kitchen creates gas and transfers gas to outside, using the fuel that is processed into pellets such as infrared stove that can use all fuels of plant origin and the stove can be boiled on many heads. burning. Especially gas can be led to the burner at a distance depending on the purpose of use.

Infrared biological gas stove

Based on the survey of existing technologies and equipment, scientists have conducted research and improvement of infrared bio-gas stoves using agricultural by-products suitable to the scale of Vietnamese households. This type of stove is capable of converting agricultural byproducts such as rice husks, straw, corn cobs into a source of combustion gas, which is transferred to the combustion unit and produces infrared with energy efficiency.

MSc Nguyễn Tùng Cương, a member of the research team, said that the experimental results of infrared gas stove show that the cooking environment has the highest concentration of CH ₄ , then CO. The concentration of H ₂ S in the cooking area is the smallest. All research parameters on kitchen appliances using gas and infrared gas cookers are the lowest (both before and after heating) compared to other traditional cookers. Infrared gas cookers have 19 times lower dust concentrations than firewood stoves.

Biogas stoves contribute to rural environment protection

In order to evaluate the economic efficiency of infrared gas cookers compared to some other traditional stoves, the research team has conducted surveys and surveys, collected information on some common cookers. The group has obtained very positive results on the possibility of commercialization of infrared gas cookers. Although the initial cost for infrared gas stove is higher than that of honeycomb coal stove is 170 thousand VND, higher than that of rice straw stove 140 thousand VND and 50,000 VND compared to rice husk stove, but the life of the gas stove is pink It is 9 years longer than honeycomb charcoal, compared to rice straw and rice husk stove for 8 years.

Researchers tried using a variety of different cookers to boil 5 liters of water. The results show that the time for boiling water by coal stove, rice husk stove and straw stove is much longer than that of infrared gas stove. The monthly cost of using infrared gas stove is 27-42% more efficient than liquefied petroleum gas stove and 12-32% with honeycomb coal stove.

Talking about the advantages of infrared gas cookers, PGS-TS Le Tat Khuong, Regional Research and Development Institute said that this type of stove has made use of agricultural by-products which are currently causing environmental pollution. gas, soil and water in some localities for burning fuel. Besides, the amount of suspended dust, CO and hydrocarbons when using coal, firewood and coarse agricultural residues when cooking, is 45-260 times higher; 185-1200 times and 85-290 times more than infrared gas cookers heated by tablets. The kitchen has a high combustion efficiency, fuel economy, thus saving costs and cooking time for housewives. This is also a useful solution in limiting the exploitation and use of non-renewable fuel fuels. The inclusion of infrared gas stoves in production and life practices contributes to creating more jobs from the purchase and production of fuel pellets.

In the coming time, the research team will expand the pilot model to the Red River Delta provinces and proceed to bring products to the domestic market.