The "Akha" Top-Lit Updraft (TLUD) Gasifier Cookstove
Graduation Day
Mahbubul Islam
Milita Mardi-Fazilpur, Pinky Rani Halder, China Halder and their stoves
Mahbubul Islam
Artisans making Akha components
Mahbubul Islam
A TLUD is a simple gasifier that is composed of a vertical tube that is filled with small pieces of wood, or densified biomass like pellets, balls or small briquettes. This is called a 'fuel bed.' It is ignited at the top, and underfed with primary air from a grate at the bottom. The ignition front travels down through the fuel by radiating heat into the raw fuel, drying it, and initiating pyrolysis. Released volatiles are ignited by the flame. The reaction is sometimes called a “migratory flaming pyrolytic front” (MFPF). Residual char is left on top of the fuel bed as the MFPF moves down.
The burning volatiles create an orange gas flame for cooking. Once pyrolysis is completed, the orange flame goes out, and the left-over char is colleded and smothered, or quenched with water.
We needed the "Akha," a culturally-appropriate TLUD for Bangladesh. It had to be made locally, study, and made with with as little (imported) metal as possible. Because of its heavy construction, it has a hinged grate for removing the char. To protect the Akha for free use, an there is an open-access patent. The current version of the Akha is a prototype being evaluated for acceptance, and obvious improvements can be made.
For the Akha to be successful, it has to:
have very low emissions of smoke
be easy to operate and burn reliably without going out
make char for use as biochar or as charcoal.
burn less fuel than a traditional stove (even when the char is unburned)
Making char may be the critical enabling feature for Akha acceptance.
The main lesson learned was that the Akha was well accepted by the women who were well trained in its use. We already knew the main limitations of a TLUD:
It does not burn loose biomass, so traditional stoves will be saved for that purpose.
It takes time to size woody fuel into small pieces, however, producing fuel for TLUDs may become some's livilhood.
It does not burn wet fuel.
It is batch-loaded with fuel rather than continuously stoked, to for long cooking times it will have to br reloaded.
Women have to the trained on how to prepare fuel, and operate a TLUD.
Maintaining and strengthening the established stakeholder’s engagement mechanism with overarching provincial, district and divisional governance bodies with sustainable financing solutions and capacity building is required for sustainability and replicability of the solution. 'The National Policy of the Environmentally Sensitive Areas management' provides the required policy framework for replication of this solution. When the communities identify the potential of resilience building of their livelihood through conservation, it becomes an incentive for their active collaboration on co-management and join monitoring of natural resources. Within given Sri Lankan context, there are many environmentally sensitive seascapes, where it could replicate this model, and this is being factored within National Environment Action Plan 2021-2030 for Sri Lanka. Therefore, there is an evident potential for sustainability and replication of this model.
Partnerships with stakeholders at every level
Continuous awareness raising about the importance of BRMS and community lives associate with it.
During the initial phase of restoring the BRMS, a case study was carried out using methods of unstructured focus groups discussions via cause-problem-impact diagrams and structured key informant interviews, and observations of this initiative revealed that community believes on 'CBNRM and Co-management' over 'regulation driven management' of Department of Wildlife Conservation. This solution was accepted and is currently proposed for replication at ESA national scaleup plan in seascapes.
Co-management of implementation activities to ensure sustainability and active lobbying to influence and implement conservation measures was also considered as a lesson learned.
The "Akha" Top-Lit Updraft (TLUD) Gasifier Cookstove
Biochar
Radical Listening
Radical Listening process
ASRI
Radical Listening process
ASRI
Radical Listening initiates a paradigm shift by asking Traditional and Indigenous rainforest communities this simple question. “You are the guardians of a rainforest that is valuable to the health of the whole planet. How might the world community assist you to live in balance with this rainforest as a thank you for your guardianship of it?” Our belief is that communities hold the key to humanity’s longevity. Traditional conservation approaches are often based on punitive measures and seldom linked to human well-being. Our approach is based on reciprocity, and valuing local people and traditional science.
No intervention from third parties, all local communities (man and woman) have the right to express their opinions during Radical Listening sessions.
Core to ASRI’s mission is democratising protecting rainforests. Local ownership is key to our approach where all programs, products, and resources are owned by the local communities. ASRI plays a key role in organizing, convening, and supporting rapid development and uptake of interventions that support a just transition to regenerative livelihoods. The iterative and ongoing process of Radical Listening continuously improves programs over time and ensures local ownership and efficacy. Involvement is paramount and integrated throughout the planning, implementation, and ongoing sustainable practices. The in-country staff are 100% nationals, and we prioritize hiring local community members whenever possible.
The project had a number of innovative elements. It brought together the elements of a smartphone (camera, gps, dropdown menu's) and designed a recreational site management system to utilise them - this is a world first.
It is an open system so additional devices can be added - people counters, flood monitors all via Internet of things (IOT)
- trusted local company to work on the project was essential
- worldwide approach to sourcing and ideas (IOT devices sourced from New Zealand)
- having a project manager of 13 years outdoor recreation expierence and an innovatie thinker to develop and drive the project
Partner implementing company
We worked previously with a company that didn't work out as they were only commited to the research phase rather than the project inisiative and management phase
Keep up to date
The area is changing quickly so it is important to keep watch for new developments and have a platform that can integrate them
Through this project I have brought together a number or local and national partners:
Organisation
Burren Geopark
Clare Local Development Company
Dept of Rural & Community Affairs
National Parks and Wildlife Service
Purpose
Each partner has either a local or national remit for an area in the project. By bringing them together we pool the resources and knowledge to deliver the system
Coordinging
The bringing together of all the bodies with each focusing on a specific area. As each partner joined they added an element to the system and then the other partners gained this feature.
These are public government funded bodies and the features they pay for are given provided to local comunities in a fremium model offering
Resources
Each organisation has resources and contacts that are utilised in the project.
The main lessons were:
- make sure you are meeting with a person who can make a decision
- show the benefits of the system
- show the advantages of the colaborative approach (tide rises all boats etc)
- give all partners credit as the program progresses
- analysis what a partner can give (they may be able to contribute time / work instead of financial)
