26 8

30

00

1

2

19

0

5

10

15

20

Re

spo

nse

s

Modes of Obtaining Cooking Fuels in Two Cameroon Communities

Urban

Rural

n=42

0

14

2 1 31

3

7 9 20

5

10

15

20

Re

spo

nse

s

Cooking Fuels

Cooking Fuels Used in Two Cameroon Communities

Urban

Rural

n=42

9 83

17

23

05

1015202530

Yes, Would Buy

Would Not Buy

Maybe

Re

spo

nse

s

Interest in Buying Hand-press to Make Biomass Briquetts in Two Cameroon

Communities

Urban

Rural

n=42

11 81

14

17

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Yes, Would Buy Would Not Buy Maybe

Re

spo

nse

s

Interest in Buying Biomass Briquettes for Use as Cooking Fuel in Two Cameroon

Communities

Urban

Rural

n=42

Sally Mason Undergraduate Travel Grant

Discovery Park Undergraduate Research Internship

CONSUMER COOKING FUELS in CAMEROON

HannahJoy PheasantDr. John Lumkes

IntroductionMany countries lack a sustainable supply of wood for fuel because trees that survive the climatic conditions are prematurely cut for firewood. Women spend hours gathering wood to cook with so that the lives of their families are not risked by unsanitary water.

Families produce waste materials that are rich carbon sources that could be pressed into a solid briquette and serve as a fuel source. A hand-press has been designed to make fuel briquettes. The hand-press design utilizes materials available affordably in Africa so that they be built in-country to reduce cost and to promote sustainability by local ownership.

Research Purpose: To explore and describe household non-transportation fuel sources, fuel uses, concerns and benefits regarding current and new fuel sources in western Cameroon as well as the economic feasibility of selling hand-presses.

Research Questions:What types of fuels are currently used in a household in western Cameroon for cooking and how are they obtained?Would users be interested in using biomass briquettes?

DemographicsThe rural community is agriculture based with

family units producing above subsistence level.

Infrastructure restrictions prevent transfer of

production surplus to cash.

The urban community is a cash-based economy.

All food is bought in the market. People in the

urban community are used to buying everything.

MethodsA modified structured interview was conducted

with 42 participants. The researcher asked a set of

questions but allowed for free response and

probing. A convenience sample was taken in two

locations in Cameroon in western Africa. One

sample was taken in a rural community and the

second sample was taken in an urban community.

Interview responses were recorded in the

researcher’s field notes and subsequently

populated into an Excel data file using open

coding. Open coding makes codes based on

responses instead of using preset codes.

Preliminary analysis was conducted using Excel.

ImplicationsThe urban community is comparatively cash-rich. 95% of urban respondents purchase their fuel. 95% of urban make use of solid cooking fuels. The average price respondents are willing to pay for a briquette provides a concrete goal to work towards for production. However, only 2/3 of relevant respondents were willing to name a price they were willing to pay.

ResultsThe average amount spent on cooking fuel per month in the urban community is 22.25 USD. The average amount spent per month in the rural community is 0 USD.The cost for the current hand-press design available is 165 USD. The estimated cost for the new design is 30 USD. Interview responses show that respondents are willing to pay 5-10 USD for a hand-press. Biomass briquettes are currently available in the rural community for 0.25 USD per briquette. Urban respondents are willing to pay 0.85 USD per briquette, based on an estimated burn time of two hours.

RecommendationsAt this time, there is not a hand-press design which can be produced within the price range respondents are willing to pay. This, in addition to the difficulties producing sufficient pressure with a hand-press, confirms that moving forward with producing a hand-press is not economically feasible.

Urban respondents are willing to buy briquettes which last for at least two hours, for 0.85 USD. This indicates a market for biomass briquettes in the urban community.It is recommended that a powered press, for example utilizing a hydraulic pump, which can produce multiple briquettes at a time, should be built as a small commercial enterprise to capitalize on the available biomass briquette market.

Testing needs to be conducted on the length of burn for a briquette as well as heat produced compared to wood. These are the two most frequent concerns expressed by respondents.

ReferencesHood, Dr. Ahmed Hassan .Biomass Briquetting in Sudan: a

Feasibility Study. August 2010. US AID.

Oberg, Erik; Jones, Franklin D.; Horton, Holbrook L.;

Ryffel, Henry H. 2000. Machinery's Handbook (26th ed.),

New York: Industrial Press Inc.

Wilaipon, Patomsok. The Effects of Briquetting Pressure

on Banana-Peel Briquette and the Banana Waste in

Northern Thailand. 2009. American Journal of Applied

Sciences 6 (1): 167-171, 2009

Demographics of Sample (n=42) Interviewed in Two Cameroon Communities

Location Sex Family size

Primary Family Cook

Primary Fuel Collector

Rural Urban Male Female 1 23 - 5 6 - 10 11 + Yes No Yes NoFamily chore

Total 20 22 11 31 3 0 10 24 5 27 15 23 8 11

Percentage of sample 0.48 0.52 0.26 0.74 0.07 0.00 0.24 0.57 0.12 0.64 0.36 0.550.19 0.26

Current hand-press New hand-press design

Biomass briquettes