Publications

“Aprovecho Research Center has represented the vanguard of clean cookstove theory and practice for over thirty years. Their broad skillset in cookstove design, operation and analysis has led to a string of global successes, both in the laboratory and the field. Their attention to detail and cultural nuance has also helped them design geographically appropriate products that respond to changes in user preference and fuel type. In Honduras, back in 1998, consultants from Aprovecho designed the first iterations of Trees, Water & People’s Justa griddle stove, which has become the flagship design for all subsequent griddle cookstoves in Mesoamerica. Thanks to all that are part of the Aprovecho community for their tireless dedication and painstaking efforts to elevating the quality and effectiveness of the clean cooking sector.”

The publications index includes popular books and articles from the ARC library. The newest book Improving Biomass Stoves, 2025 summarizes 49 years of lessons learned in 51 brief essays about transforming biomass cleanly and efficiently into energy for cooking and heating. Production of this book was supported by The Osprey Foundation.

This list includes articles by Peter Scott and other authors who investigated stoves at ARC. Many of the papers describe how various stoves can be built. Field studies conducted by USAID are also listed.

Featured Publications

Aprovecho’s Peer-Reviewed Research Papers

Quantifying charcoal conversion factors throughout the value chain in Malawi and Ghana (January 2026, Biomass & Bioenergy)

Quantifying the Efficiency and Fuel Consumption of Cooking with Traditional Wood and Charcoal Stoves in Malawi, Ghana, and Kenya (August 2025, Environmental Science & Technology)

In-situ measurements of emissions and fuel loading of non-catalytic cordwood stoves in rural Oregon  (May 2025, Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association)

Retrofitting stoves with forced jets of primary air improves speed, emissions, and efficiency: Evidence from six types of biomass cookstoves (December 2022, Energy for Sustainable Development)

Development of wood-burning rocket cookstove with forced air-injection  (December 2021, Energy for Sustainable Development)

Stratification of particulate matter in a kitchen: A comparison of empirical to predicted concentrations and implications for cookstove emissions targets (Feb. 2020, Energy for Sustainable Development)

Laboratory experiments regarding the use of filtration and retained heat to reduce particulate matter emissions from biomass cooking (Feb. 2018, Energy for Sustainable Development)

Results of Laboratory Testing of 15 Cookstove Designs in Accordance with the ISO/IWA Tiers of Performance (Sept. 2014, EcoHealth)

Test Kitchen studies of indoor air pollution from biomass cookstoves (Oct. 2013, Energy for Sustainable Development)

The influence of initial fuel load on Fuel to Cook for batch loaded charcoal cookstoves (April 2013, Energy for Sustainable Development)

Fuel use and emissions performance of fifty cooking stoves in the laboratory and related benchmarks of performance (Sept. 2010, Energy for Sustainable Development)

A laboratory comparison of the global warming impact of five major types of biomass cooking stoves (June 2008, Energy for Sustainable Development)

Testing Protocols

Agricultural Dryer

Books

Ceramics

Kilns and Brick Making: A Rough Draft (34 pages, March 2006)

Making Insulative Clay Combustion Chambers (9 pages, March 2003

Mud Stoves (3 pages, April 2005)

New Lorena Stove Design in Mexico (4 pages, March 2003)

Prototype Ecuadorian Earthen Stove (4 pages, June 2002)

Clean Combustion

Heating Stoves

Designing Improved Wood Burning Heating Stoves (58 pages, October 2005)

Capturing Heat Three: Heating Stoves (46 pages, September 13, 2004)

Indoor Air Pollution

Institutional Stoves

Pots

Stoves

Designing a Clean-Burning, High-Efficiency, Dung-Burning Stove: Lessons in cooking with cow patties. (13 pages, February 2006)

Designing Vernacular Cooking Stoves (11 pages, September 2001)

Development of wood-burning rocket cookstove with forced air-injection  (December 2021, Energy for Sustainable Development)

Global Modeling and Testing of Rocket Stove Operating Variations (bioenenergylists.org, 2001)

HELPS International Rocket Stove (3 pages, March 2002)

How to Build the Improved Household Stoves (35 pages, July 2005)

Instructions for Building a VITA Stove (7 pages, 1987, 2005)

Introduction of Rocket Stove Cooking Devices in Uganda (44 pages, September 2003)

Lanny’s Rocket Wok (2 pages, January 2002)

Lesotho: Nkokonono Stove (4 pages, October 2003)

Lesotho: Nokoko Household Stove and Bread Oven (6 pages, November 2003)

New Rocket Stove Design from Uganda (4 pages, July 2005)

Rocket Griddle Stove (1 page, April 2001)

Rocket Lantern (2 pages, June 2003)

Rocket stove made from pumice (1 page, March 2001)

Rocket Stove User Guide (1 page)

Rocket Style Uganda Stove (1 page, April 2002)

Simplified Design of the Batch-Type Rice Husk Gas Stove (3 pages, June 2011)

Simple Plans for the Aprovecho Double Burner Rocket Stove (19 pages)

Simple Plans to Build the Justa Stove (18 pages)

Simple Plans for the Sunken Pot Aprovecho Stove (38 pages, Jan 2003)

South Africa Two Sunken Pot Rocket Stove With Oven (3 pages, June 2002)

The influence of initial fuel load on Fuel to Cook for batch loaded charcoal cookstoves (April 2013, Energy for Sustainable Development)

The Sprocket Rocket (14 pages, June 2006)

Tobacco barn

USAID Field Studies of Biomass Stoves (external links)