Traditional Biomass Synthesis Essay

II. LITERATURE REVIEW In developing countries, especially in rural areas, 2.5 billion people rely on biomass, such as fuel wood, charcoal, agricultural waste and animal dung; to meet their energy needs for cooking. In many countries, these resources account for over 90% of household energy consumption. In the absence of new policies, the number of people relying on biomass will increase to over 2.6 billion by 2015 and to 2.7 billion by 2030 because of population growth. That is, one-third of the world’s population will still be relying on these fuels. There is evidence that, in areas where local prices have adjusted to recent high international energy prices, the shift to cleaner, more efficient use of energy for cooking has actually slowed and even reversed. Two complementary approaches can improve this situation: promoting more efficient and sustainable use of traditional biomass; and encouraging people to switch to modern cooking fuels and technologies. The appropriate mix depends on local circumstances such as per-capita incomes and the available supply of sustainable biomass. Improved cook stoves have

Currently, three billion people rely on solid fuels such as traditional biomass and coal. Most of these people reside in Less Developed Countries (LDCs) and in SSA (Sub-Saharan Africa) where more than 80 percent primarily rely on solid fuels for cooking, compared to 56 percent of people in developing countries as a whole. Moreover, the report indicated that developing areas are deprived of proper access to improved cooking stoves; merely 7 percent of people in LDCs and SSA who rely on solid fuels use improved cooking stoves compared to 27 percent of people in developing countries as a