KSG Sawdust Rocket Stove

In many developing countries there are large amounts of waste sawdust from timber processing. The sawdust can not be reliably burned in normal stoves or open fires, but a stove design by the Kisangani Smith Group (KSG) of Tanzania allows it to be used as a fuel for cooking. In 2008 KSG won an Ashden Award for their work on the sawdust rocket stove.

The stove is cylindrical, about 420 mm tall and 270 mm in diameter, with feet to raise it off the ground. The lid of the stove has a heat-spreader and pot support, and at one side an entry port at the base serves as the air inlet. This inlet also allows a small amount of wood to be introduced, which is useful for getting the stove started and sometimes for controlling the burn rate as well.

The heat spreader, mounted on the lid of the stove, has a complex shape to direct heat over the whole of the pot base and prevents localised heating. The lid fits tightly over the cylindrical stove body, and a serrated flange on the underside of this lid sinks into the sawdust and prevents hot gases from escaping sideways.

A pole guide, used for filling the stove, is welded in the centre of the cylindrical cavity. 

Stove information: http://www.appropedia.org/Sawdust_stove

Ashden Award:  http://www.ashdenawards.org/winners/ksg08