The smokeless wood stove concept can curb the number of respiratory problems

Jan 12, 2012 10:16 GMT  ·  By
Avi Davis of Project Lighthouse cooking tortillas using an eco-friendly Turbococina
   Avi Davis of Project Lighthouse cooking tortillas using an eco-friendly Turbococina

Nowadays, most of the people living in developing countries are forced to cook their daily meals over open fires, exposing themselves to serious health risks.

An inventor has designed and improved a smokeless wood stove concept, meant to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions by 95%.

[The prototype, entitled Turbococina or 'Turbostove,'was first taken into consideration 16 years ago. Since then, René Núñez, its developer, has continued to work on it, receiving numerous awards for his achievements. Due to its thermal efficiency and low carbon footprint, NASA named it the best stove ever invented, late last year.

Also, the innovative design and beneficial changes displayed by the improved Turbococina annihilate the hazardous nitrous oxide and carbon monoxide emissions.

According to Núñez, his stove is based on the principle of low-temperature combustion. Due to this fact, it preserves a massive amount of firewood, safeguarding forests and enabling users to cook their food without putting this limited natural resource at risk.

Turbococina relies on a stainless steel cylinder equipped with 10 air injectors, a steel plate and an internal fan. This last element is stopping the eco-conscious inventor from implementing his concept all across the globe and alleviate the suffering of poor people, who often have to deal with severe respiratory problems caused by toxic smoke coming from improvised stoves.

The internal fan moving the air in the combustion chamber cannot be powered in areas where electricity is not available.

In El Salvador, only 65.5 percent of the people living in rural areas are connected to the grid. Under these circumstances, the inventor's mission of bringing his stove one step closer to financially-challenged people from his country is seriously affected.

Nevertheless, his concept has already been adopted by 800 schools and this initiative will be expanded in the near future, since Núñez still plans to distribute 100,000 Turbococinas all across El Salvador.