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None of the widely sold paraffin stoves meets the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) requirements for safety. Not only are they prone to accidents and explosions, paraffin stoves—like coal stoves—emit large amounts of carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas that can kill. Like coal stoves, paraffin stoves are commonly used as space heaters in homes that are tightly sealed against the cold. Retailers sell paraffin in bottles contaminated with petrol (gasoline), which causes stoves to flare dangerously. Burns kill more South African children between the ages of one and four years than any other accidental cause and are the fourth highest cause of death in children between the ages of five and nine. Moreover, paraffin ingestion is the most frequent cause of accidental childhood poisoning in South Africa. Electricity is expensive for cooking and ultimately inefficient. LPG (liquified petroleum gas) is expensive and cannot realistically meet the cooking needs of most households. LPG stoves are considered by many to be more dangerous than paraffin stoves. Fires and explosions caused by LPG and paraffin stoves are commonplace in South African townships. On average, a township experiences one fire each day as the result of an accident involving LPG or paraffin.
South Africa is Africa’s largest producer of ethanol. Illovo Sugar, a leader in the South African sugar industry, distills ethanol from sugar cane molasses. Approximately 500 million liters of synthetic ethanol are produced annually from coal and gas, along with another 150 million liters of ethanol from sugar cane and other feedstocks. Sixty to 70% of this is exported. More than a billion liters of new ethanol capacity is planned. More than 150 million liters of methanol are produced, all from coal. South Africa imports approximately 60% of its petroleum fuels. It has the potential to move to energy self-sufficiency by following the alcohol pathway.
The NOVA Institute, a nonprofit organization, was conducting the eMbalenhle Air Quality (MAQ) Project, commissioned in 1997 by Sasol to improve health by improving air quality. NOVA had established the Sizanani Energy Centre in Samaria Park, an informal settlement within eMbalenhle Township. The township consists of approximately 500 homes with limited public services and high pollution levels, especially during cold weather, when coal and paraffin fires are burning in the homes to provide heat. Alcohol stoves were placed in 10 Samaria Park homes. Ten research assistants, drawn from the neighborhood and working at the Sizanani Energy Centre, were grouped into five two-person teams and assigned to the families with stoves. Selection of test homes, training of the research assistants, and evaluation of data were accomplished by two lead researchers at NOVA Institute. Test homes showing characteristic cooking and energy use patterns for the neighborhood were selected for the study. Four homes were selected where only a paraffin wick stove was in use and 20 liters of paraffin were consumed each week, three homes were selected where a coal stove was also in use, and three homes were selected where a two-burner electric stove was in use side by side with the paraffin stove. After being trained in the Sizanani Energy Center and in their homes, each of the families received an Origo® 3000 two-burner stove. Sasol Solvents supplied methanol in five-liter containers marked with appropriate warning labels. The methanol was denatured with Bitrex at 30 ppm and colored for identification. Research assistants conducted nondirective interviews with each household and participated in several group discussions involving all of the households. Group discussions were conducted in isiZulu, led by the NOVA lead researchers. Families were asked key questions in final interviews if these questions had not been answered in the nondirective interviews. Pilot study results. The results of the study were favorable and indicated that further development of the stove was warranted. Some of the points noted by researchers were: The families thought the alcohol stove was an LPG stove. They liked the stoveís appearance and stainless steel finish. Visitors to the 10 families were impressed and came to the Sizanani Centre to ask about the stove and about how to become part of the research. Households were generally satisfied with the size of the stove. Pots fit properly on it, and the stove could be conveniently placed on a table and stored after use. However, households that used a 20-liter boiler to prepare hot water for washing found that the Origo 3000 stove was not large enough or robust enough to hold the boiler. The safety of the stove was highly esteemed. Households immediately recognized the safety advantages of the stove, including its stability, the fact that it would not spill its fuel, and that water would extinguish its flames. Although households easily mastered the filling procedure of the fuel tanks, they frequently spilled fuel on their hands. Out of a concern for overfilling, some users filled the fuel tank only half way. Households were impressed by the heating power. The Origo 3000 stove performed much better than paraffin stoves. One family prepared mahlamhodi / binnegoed (the intestines of an animal that require a long cooking time) on the Origo stove and on a paraffin stove. The meal on the Origo stove was completed two hours ahead of the meal on the paraffin stove. (Total cooking time of the meal on the Origo 3000 stove was three hours.) The Origo’s operating time was similar to that of paraffin stove. Some users observed that while they were able to fill a paraffin stove while cooking, they had to turn off the Origo stove to replenish the fuel. Fuel consumption/economy. Many families consume between one and two liters of paraffin per day. Most study respondents used slightly more fuel in the Origo stove than in the paraffin stove, even though cooking time was faster with the Origo stove. Some respondents found better results when cooking with the Origo at low settings. One cook stated, “This stove does not waste fuel.” Cooks were impressed by the clean burning of the Origo stoves.They found that it did not smell like paraffin or stain the pots. The “red” flame (when lighting) and the “blue” flame when operating had positive connotations compared to a “green” flame associated with carbon monoxide. When asked what they would be willing to pay for the stove, respondents expressed a willingness to pay between R150 and R200. In the group discussions, respondents reported they would be prepared to buy the stove for R200 to R300 if fuel was affordable. They said that the life of the stove would be an important consideration in price. When a price of between R300 and R400 was mentioned, all but two respondents were still willing to buy the stoves. Respondents asked for a financing scheme to be able to buy the stove. At the time of the study, paraffin stoves were selling at between R20 (single plate) and R45 (double plate). Since paraffin stoves have a life of six months, respondents felt that if the alcohol stove cost R400, it should be guaranteed to last at least five years. Lessons learned, actions taken. SD Trading and Consulting did not return to alcohol stove development work following this initial study. However, Electrolux/Dometic adapted the Origo 3000 stove, making it larger and more robust, for further testing in Africa. A new prototype stove was developed and tested with methanol in Nigeria and with ethanol in Ethiopia. In Nigeria the attributes of the stove’s fueling system were used to keep methanol fuel out of harm’s way. Families in a 150-stove pilot study received fully charged exchangeable fuel canisters. In Ethiopia, families received denatured ethanol in convenient 1.2 liter bottles (equal to the capacity of the fuel tank). Although the locus of activity has been outside South Africa since 2001, the alcohol stove development work will be returned to South Africa as soon as possible.
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