Plant Oils
Finding the right type of fuel in Kenya is relatively easy. A vast number of oil plants are indigenous to the region, for instance castor grows naturally in all the provinces of Kenya. In most areas, traditional methods exist for the harvest and production of the oil which Multilink will complement by installing various oil extraction facilities in several regions to ensure that enough volumes are processed and the oil supply chain is maintained. Moreover, numerous oil plants have suffered neglect in the past because their oil is toxic or not very suitable for nutrition, e.g. the Physic nut (Jatropha) and the castor plant. Using these oils as a fuel for the Protos cooker means no competition with food production, which is a top priority both for BSH and Multilink.
Plant oils offer an alternative cooking fuel resource, providing an independent and sustainable energy supply and alternative to wood, which is still the main energy source in many developing countries. Many oil plants originate in the tropics and subtropics, growing in areas unsuitable for food crops, and are often cultivated on wastelands. Examples of these oil plants include the castor oil plant and Jatropha, or Physic nut tree. Local oil production creates income opportunities for local populations, ensuring sustainability and strengthening decentralized structures. Additionally, the by-product of the oil processing, or press cake, can be used as a high-quality fertilizer or fodder.
We strongly encourage and promote the use of non-edible oils or used cooking oil (which only requires filtering) as a fuel source.
“The use of plant oil as fuel may seem insignificant today. But such products can in time become just as important as kerosene and these coal-tar products of today.”
~ Rudolf Diesel, 1912, inventor of the diesel engine, which originally ran on peanut oil.
Ethanol
Ethanol and methanol burn very cleanly. Studies conducted in a number of countries, both in the laboratory and in household field tests, have shown the benefit of alcohol stoves in dramatically reducing indoor air pollution as compared to wood, charcoal and kerosene stoves. Alcohol stoves tend to produce significantly less CO (carbon monoxide) than stoves using kerosene or solid fuels and alcohol stoves that incorporate adequate oxygen in the combustion process achieve extremely low levels of CO.