Value chain of innovative stoves and waste biomass linked to prisons, tinsmiths, sawmills and town councils in Zambia
The collaboration of Ensis Development Ltd, Miombo AS and Niras AS
has established a scalable and sustainable regional pilot project in Zambia.
The project builds on excellent knowledge at the Zambian company Ensis Development on conditions for use of waste sawdust and pelletizing this feedstock as replacement for charcoal. Equally, the project draws on first rate knowledge of innovative stoves and use at the Norwegian company Miombo AS and finally methods for facilitating carbon credit financing at the large danish consulting company Niras AS.
The project will use a methodology designed to develop, test and evaluate a value chain for waste biomass, pelletized to sawdust and sold as a replacement for charcoal in the markets in the Zambian cities of Kitwe and Lusaka.
As part of the methodology, the project will initate test production of pellets from waste sawdust for sale to stove users and to the industry.
The project will take advantage of existing trade structures for moving charcoal to urban areas, permitting a replacement of pelletized sawdust with charcoal without disturbing existing practice.
The sharing and extending of knowledge on waste biomass and on stoves maximises investment and local ownership, with commitment to succeed. Crucial is the introduction of new stoves with high thermal efficiency and reduced toxic emissions. Sustainability is a driving force in the project, seeking improved living conditions for low-income households.
The project seeks transformations of the Zambian society through its ambition to create a charcoal free Kitwe, extending this vision to other areas of Zambia with time.
A fact sheet on the project can downloaded from here.
The project builds on excellent knowledge at the Zambian company Ensis Development on conditions for use of waste sawdust and pelletizing this feedstock as replacement for charcoal. Equally, the project draws on first rate knowledge of innovative stoves and use at the Norwegian company Miombo AS and finally methods for facilitating carbon credit financing at the large danish consulting company Niras AS.
The project will use a methodology designed to develop, test and evaluate a value chain for waste biomass, pelletized to sawdust and sold as a replacement for charcoal in the markets in the Zambian cities of Kitwe and Lusaka.
As part of the methodology, the project will initate test production of pellets from waste sawdust for sale to stove users and to the industry.
The project will take advantage of existing trade structures for moving charcoal to urban areas, permitting a replacement of pelletized sawdust with charcoal without disturbing existing practice.
The sharing and extending of knowledge on waste biomass and on stoves maximises investment and local ownership, with commitment to succeed. Crucial is the introduction of new stoves with high thermal efficiency and reduced toxic emissions. Sustainability is a driving force in the project, seeking improved living conditions for low-income households.
The project seeks transformations of the Zambian society through its ambition to create a charcoal free Kitwe, extending this vision to other areas of Zambia with time.
A fact sheet on the project can downloaded from here.
Deforestation is considered one of the priority environmental problems in Zambia.
Wood harvesting for charcoal production seems to be the main cause of forest loss.
Households accounted in 2007 for about 88% of woodfuel consumption with cooking and heating being the major household use. The household sector is the largest consumer of energy and initiatives are needed to reduce the high consumption of woodfuel and dependence through sustainable provision of affordable, reliable modern energy to rural and urban households as a means of raising productivity and standards of living.
A key issue related to energy is its cross cutting nature. Critical social and economic parameters on e.g. health and transport are intrinsically linked to modes of energy production and its distribution through supply chains. Integrated sector development is necessary to promote the cross-sectorial linkages between the energy sector and other sectors such as household energy, agriculture, sawmill and charcoal trade. Essential to this integrative approach is minimizing the negative environmental and health effects of energy production in e.g. household cooking, transportation and other use.
Existing stoves and production methods for charcoal represent an inefficient use of energy. Associated negative impacts are emissions contributing to climate change (methane, CO2) and substantial releases of toxic emissions (CO, PM). Charcoal production in a traditional earth mound kiln has large energy losses with charcoal yields around 12%. One of the stoves in the project, the Peko Pe, has in comparison measured charcoal yields at 25%.
Households accounted in 2007 for about 88% of woodfuel consumption with cooking and heating being the major household use. The household sector is the largest consumer of energy and initiatives are needed to reduce the high consumption of woodfuel and dependence through sustainable provision of affordable, reliable modern energy to rural and urban households as a means of raising productivity and standards of living.
A key issue related to energy is its cross cutting nature. Critical social and economic parameters on e.g. health and transport are intrinsically linked to modes of energy production and its distribution through supply chains. Integrated sector development is necessary to promote the cross-sectorial linkages between the energy sector and other sectors such as household energy, agriculture, sawmill and charcoal trade. Essential to this integrative approach is minimizing the negative environmental and health effects of energy production in e.g. household cooking, transportation and other use.
Existing stoves and production methods for charcoal represent an inefficient use of energy. Associated negative impacts are emissions contributing to climate change (methane, CO2) and substantial releases of toxic emissions (CO, PM). Charcoal production in a traditional earth mound kiln has large energy losses with charcoal yields around 12%. One of the stoves in the project, the Peko Pe, has in comparison measured charcoal yields at 25%.
The project intends to train skilled prisoners and tinsmiths
positioned within a new value chain of manufacturing and distributing two
clean burning and fuel efficient stoves along with fuel from processed and unprocessed waste agri-/forestry biomass.
The two stoves used in the project are complimentary in the market, as the low cost SawDuster being specified for easy accessible sawdust in the Copperbelt, Zambia and the Peko Pe being flexible to other biomass fuels as well as being particularly clean burning.
In additon to heat, the Peko Pe stove produces biochar of high quality for use as a carbon sink and as a soil improver in small holder farming. Fieldtests with biochar in Zambia on maize crops has for individual plots shown very high yields compared to control. [Presentation M. Sparrevik, NGI, Oslo 2011].
The project puts forward an innovative concept as it attempts to combine new stove technology with the flexibility to use any kind of waste biomass, including easily available sawdust and corncobs for production of fuel for the stoves.
The concept caters to simplicity with low cost levels to address poverty alleviation and re-integration of prisoners. Involvement of prisoners as skilled stove producers is a key element in the proposed project while the introduction of efficient and clean burning biochar producing stoves has co-benefits on health and agriculture. New efficient cookstoves will assist in the mitigation of climate change through reductions in deforestation rate and through maintaining areas of carbon sink.
The long term development objective is to combat the accelerating depletion of indigenous forests driven by the charcoal industry and to reduce the demand for fuel wood by introducing a new value chain of fuel efficient and clean burning stoves along with suitable fuel.
The overall project objective is to execute preparatory work for an extension of the project into a larger project.
Specific project objectives are:
1. Provide dry fuel of suitable type and quality, adapted to markets.
2. Transfer of knowledge and cost effective material input on standardized stoves manufacture.
3. Introduce stoves and fuel to the market.
4. Prepare for carbon credit financing.
The project is organized as a pilot project. It will demonstrate the economic benefit of making the switch from charcoal to pelletized sawdust. The project intends to distribute stoves and fuel to peri-urban and urban settings across Zambia. Pilot 1 is situated in Kitwe Kamfinsa on the Copperbelt, because of the sawmills location, while pilot 2 for the Peko Pe stove will be based in the centre of Lusaka city because of its potential to use diverse feedstocks.
clean burning and fuel efficient stoves along with fuel from processed and unprocessed waste agri-/forestry biomass.
The two stoves used in the project are complimentary in the market, as the low cost SawDuster being specified for easy accessible sawdust in the Copperbelt, Zambia and the Peko Pe being flexible to other biomass fuels as well as being particularly clean burning.
In additon to heat, the Peko Pe stove produces biochar of high quality for use as a carbon sink and as a soil improver in small holder farming. Fieldtests with biochar in Zambia on maize crops has for individual plots shown very high yields compared to control. [Presentation M. Sparrevik, NGI, Oslo 2011].
The project puts forward an innovative concept as it attempts to combine new stove technology with the flexibility to use any kind of waste biomass, including easily available sawdust and corncobs for production of fuel for the stoves.
The concept caters to simplicity with low cost levels to address poverty alleviation and re-integration of prisoners. Involvement of prisoners as skilled stove producers is a key element in the proposed project while the introduction of efficient and clean burning biochar producing stoves has co-benefits on health and agriculture. New efficient cookstoves will assist in the mitigation of climate change through reductions in deforestation rate and through maintaining areas of carbon sink.
The long term development objective is to combat the accelerating depletion of indigenous forests driven by the charcoal industry and to reduce the demand for fuel wood by introducing a new value chain of fuel efficient and clean burning stoves along with suitable fuel.
The overall project objective is to execute preparatory work for an extension of the project into a larger project.
Specific project objectives are:
1. Provide dry fuel of suitable type and quality, adapted to markets.
2. Transfer of knowledge and cost effective material input on standardized stoves manufacture.
3. Introduce stoves and fuel to the market.
4. Prepare for carbon credit financing.
The project is organized as a pilot project. It will demonstrate the economic benefit of making the switch from charcoal to pelletized sawdust. The project intends to distribute stoves and fuel to peri-urban and urban settings across Zambia. Pilot 1 is situated in Kitwe Kamfinsa on the Copperbelt, because of the sawmills location, while pilot 2 for the Peko Pe stove will be based in the centre of Lusaka city because of its potential to use diverse feedstocks.
The most important aspect of the project is to establish a base for the launch of a larger phase 2 project.
Direct project outputs from the pilot project are to put on the market 5.000 stoves and 3.000 tons of solid biomass fuel.
This is an energy supply of approximately 12 million kWh, and will reduce green-house gases with a conservative estimate of 3.000 tCO2eq/year compared to existing practices.
The Copperbelt region has been chosen as the main pilot location.
This province is home to most of the saw mills in Zambia and with access to large quantities of agri-/forest waste.
In the Copperbelt region, the project proponent Ensis Development in cooperation with the saw milling company Rainland Timber cooperate with prisons on production and manufacturing of the SawDuster stove based on unprocessed sawdust as fuel. The project will produce fuel as pellets, to be transported to the pilot in Lusaka for the urban settings where the Peko Pe stove will be manufactured and distributed.
The largest development impact will come from developing a partnership with municipal councils in Lusaka and Kitwe town to establish systems of central distribution of sawdust or sawdust processed as pellets.
The main beneficiaries will be low-income households, prisoners, tinsmiths, sawdust carriers seeing effects of energy efficient stoves, rising income through employment in new value chains, exposure to less toxic fumes.
In the Copperbelt region, the project proponent Ensis Development in cooperation with the saw milling company Rainland Timber cooperate with prisons on production and manufacturing of the SawDuster stove based on unprocessed sawdust as fuel. The project will produce fuel as pellets, to be transported to the pilot in Lusaka for the urban settings where the Peko Pe stove will be manufactured and distributed.
The largest development impact will come from developing a partnership with municipal councils in Lusaka and Kitwe town to establish systems of central distribution of sawdust or sawdust processed as pellets.
The main beneficiaries will be low-income households, prisoners, tinsmiths, sawdust carriers seeing effects of energy efficient stoves, rising income through employment in new value chains, exposure to less toxic fumes.
Ensis Development Ltd: the lead applicant and a Zambian development company specialising in sustainable development and management.
The company has established several subsidiaries within forestry, permaculture, agriculture. One of them is Rainlands Timber Ltd, situated outside of Kitwe, Zambia.
Rainlands Timber is a sawmill that prides itself in utilising its waste resources.
The company has developed the SawDuster stove with 500 in operation, utilising the mill's sawdust.
Rainlands Timber operates a tree plant nursery and trains prisoners of Kamfinsa Prison in agroforestry and permaculture. The compamy employs some 70 staff.
Miombo AS: a Norwegian company with many years of experience in technical assistance on rural development based on the principles of economic, ecological and social sustainability. Miombo successfully completed in 2011 a pilot cookstoveproject in Zambia, introducing Peko Pe stoves for use in household cooking utilizing corncobs as fuel for production of biochar.
NIRAS AS: a large Danish multidisciplinary consultancy company with almost 1,300 staff. The company has branch offices in several European countries, Eastern Africa, Asia and has for over 25 years provided advisory services to clients on energy planning, energy efficiency and renewable energy. NIRAS provides technical assistance to the project on carbon trading and carbon credit financing.
Miombo AS: a Norwegian company with many years of experience in technical assistance on rural development based on the principles of economic, ecological and social sustainability. Miombo successfully completed in 2011 a pilot cookstoveproject in Zambia, introducing Peko Pe stoves for use in household cooking utilizing corncobs as fuel for production of biochar.
NIRAS AS: a large Danish multidisciplinary consultancy company with almost 1,300 staff. The company has branch offices in several European countries, Eastern Africa, Asia and has for over 25 years provided advisory services to clients on energy planning, energy efficiency and renewable energy. NIRAS provides technical assistance to the project on carbon trading and carbon credit financing.
The project has received donor financing of Euro 200 000 from the organization Energy and Environment Partnership/Southern and East Africa.
The companies of Ensis Development and Miombo supports the project with additional in kind resources and where Miombo provides added financial support.
The companies of Ensis Development and Miombo supports the project with additional in kind resources and where Miombo provides added financial support.