Smokeless biomass 'Oorja' stove that runs on burning pellets made up of agricultural waste being used in a house at Aviyur in Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu.
Over 5,000 rural households in Madurai and Virudhunagar districts now have smokeless kitchens. No longer do housewives have to put up with irritation in their eyes by blowing into the traditional ovens. Nor do they have to bear huge LPG cylinder bills.
- Developed in conjunction with the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.
- A mini-fan, powered by rechargeable batteries, blows air to fan the flames.
- Costs Rs. 675.
- A family of six consumes about six bags of pellets (a 5-kg bag costs Rs. 20) and three litres of kerosene. This combination of fuel costs about Rs. 147 a month, whereas the family was spending Rs. 390 a month earlier.
- Pellets are made from agricultural waste such as sugarcane bagasse, groundnut husk and maize cobs.
- Available in parts of Tamil Nadu, Maharastra, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.
Limitations of the biomass stove:
- Making `dosas' and `chappatis' is a problem, as the stove generates excessive heat.
- Once it is lit, it cannot be stopped unlike LPG or kerosene stoves.
- Refuelling cannot be done midway. The entire ash has to be replaced, and the stove has to be lit afresh. However, this can be done in a few minutes.
