Gasification stoves that utilize used cooking oil as fuel represent a significant innovation in renewable energy. People generally perceive used cooking oil as cooking oil that is no longer suitable for frying, often discarding it as waste or selling it to collectors for export and biodiesel production. However, used cooking oil can be repurposed as stove fuel, presenting an advancement in appropriate waste-to-energy technology. This approach enables cooking oil that is no longer used for frying to serve as a renewable fuel source for stoves. This study aims to analyze the efficiency of used cooking oil stoves by employing a gasification mechanism to accelerate heating. The efficiency evaluation includes thermal efficiency, measured using the Water Boiling Test method, along with values for Fuel Consumption Rate (FCR), Combustion Input Power (Pin), and Combustion Output Power (Pout). Thus, our study is the first to comprehensively evaluate the performance of used cooking oil (UCO)-fueled gasification stoves by analyzing these metrics, addressing a research gap in prior studies. Testing and analysis were conducted using water samples of three different volumes: 1 liter, 2 liters, and 3 liters. The results indicate thermal efficiency rates of 30.49 % for 1 liter of water, 15.54 % for 2 liters, and 16.45 % for 3 liters. The highest recorded FCR value is 1 liter/hour, the largest Pin value is 8,246.10 watts, and the highest Pout value is 1,481.28 watts. The decline in thermal efficiency and output power is attributed to the stove’s design. Specifically, the blower pipe air hole is positioned perpendicular to the blower pipe within the combustion chamber. As a result, the flames primarily strike the combustion chamber walls, with only a portion of the reflected heat directed toward the container holding boiling water. This leads to excessive heating within the combustion chamber, while the temperature of the flames reaching the water container remains relatively lower. The electrical power consumption of the stove is measured at 10.89 watts. As a contribution, our study provides an alternative cooking solution that supports Indonesia’s energy diversification efforts by reducing reliance on LPG and alleviating the government’s subsidy burden.
Purwandito Tulus Asmoro (Fri,) studied this question.