Design and testing of cashew nut shell gasifier stove

Biomass has already emerged in the renewable energy area as one of the promising candidates for the future energy source. Historically, biomass has been a major source of fuel from the existence of making rapid urbanization, but widespread use of fossil fuels in the industrialization has relegated it to a minor source of energy. The rejuvenation, however, started with increasing concerns over reducing carbon footprints and also due to strong causative connections between non-renewable fuels and “global warming”. The use of biomass as a modern source of energy is varied and gasification is one of the conversion processes to syngas. The gas can be subsequently used for heat, power and liquid fuels production through various synthesis processes. The major objective of this study was to produce cooking gas from Cashew Nut Shells (CNS) by using the gasification process. The gasification was undertaken with an updraft CNS gasifier. The feedstock ultimate analysis was; Carbon 63.2 %, Hydrogen 6.7 %, Nitrogen 0.63 %, and Oxygen 21.9 %. The proximate analysis values are 3.83 % moisture, 73.41 % volatile mater, 7.53 % fixed carbon, 7.53 % ash, and calorific value 24.2 MJ/kg. The CNS Gasifier Stove developed has a thermal efficiency of 35.5 % and an energy output of 2.19 kW. The corresponding values for LPG stove and Kerosene stove are 53.53 % (0.69 kW) and 39.3 % (0.6 kW), respectively. Though the use of a CNS gasifier as a cooking is less efficient than the aforementioned, with the rising oil prices and the search for alternatives to conventional cooking stoves, it is still a viable alternative in this comparison.