TITLE:
Experimental Investigations of the Effects of Secondary Air Injection on Gaseous Emission Profiles (NOx, NO, NO2, CO) and Hydrocarbons (CxHx) in Cookstoves Using Charcoal from Eucalyptus glandis
AUTHORS:
Paul Njogu, Purity Muthoni, Peter Oketch, Daniel Omondi, Elijah Ngumba
KEYWORDS:
Biomass, Stoichiometric, Emissions, Combustion, Pollution, HAP, Cookstoves
JOURNAL NAME:
Smart Grid and Renewable Energy,
Vol.14 No.1,
January
31,
2023
ABSTRACT: Use of biomass in domestic cookstoves leads to the
release of oxides of nitrogen (NOx), nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen
dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbons CxHx that can be detrimental to health of the public and the environment. Attainment
of complete combustion is the best strategy for mitigating the release of these
emissions. This study sought to experimentally determine the effects of
secondary air injection on the emission profiles of NOx (NO & NO2),
CO and CxHx in a charcoal operated cookstove. Charcoal
from Eucalyptus glandis was bought from Kakuzi PLC. Composites from three batches were analyzed for
chemical composition and the stoichiometric air equivalent. Proximate analysis
data show that the charcoal composed 58.72% ± 3.3% C, 15.95% ± 1.2% Volatile
Matter, 4.69% ± 0.55% Moisture, 20.7% ± 0.8% Ash, High heat value (HHV) of 30.5
± 1.1 and 29.3 ± 1.3 Low heat value (LHV) (MJ/kg) with a chemical formula of C18H2O
and a stoichiometric air requirement of 5.28 ± 0.6 with a fuel flow rate of 1 kg
fuel/hr. Emission profiles for CO and CxHx reduced significantly by 70% and 80% respectively with secondary air injection
whereas those of NOx increased by between 15% and 20% for NO2 and NO. The study reveals that secondary air injection has potential to mitigate on emission
release, however other measures are required to mitigate NOx emissions.