YOGYAKARTA — Utilizing wood processing residues as readily available alternative energy sources has become increasingly vital for mitigating fossil fuel dependence and curbing household air pollution. This renewable energy exploration forms the core of a newly released 2026 scientific study conducted by a research team from Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta, consisting of Thoharudin, Cahya Gumilar, and Lailatul Fajri Helmi. The team evaluated and compared the thermal performance and conversion efficiency of a forced-draft biomass gasifier stove using two distinct waste materials derived from Sengon wood processing: sawdust and wood shavings. This comparative evaluation is highly significant because the physical structure of wood residues directly dictates operational combustion stability and the overall volume of generated combustible gas.
More than three billion people worldwide continue to rely heavily on solid biomass fuels such as raw firewood to satisfy their everyday domestic cooking requirements. This widespread practice results in extremely low thermal efficiencies, drives deforestation, and releases dangerous emissions like carbon monoxide and fine particulate matter into residential spaces. Gasifier stoves represent a clean alternative because they convert solid biomass into gas before final combustion occurs through four sequential stages: drying, pyrolysis, oxidation, and reduction. By balancing primary and secondary air supplies, these advanced cooking devices produce cleaner flames with substantially lower smoke yields compared to conventional open fires.
To map the operational boundaries of this technology, the researchers carried out controlled laboratory experiments between March and May 2026 using the standardized Water Boiling Test protocol. The solid fuels were packed into a forced-draft gasifier chamber while the integrated air fan velocity was modulated precisely at 0.7 meters per second, 0.9 meters per second, and 1.05 meters per second. Each configuration was tested repeatedly using a constant water volume of one liter to monitor boiling duration, unburned char residue, fuel consumption rates, and the total mass of water evaporated throughout the thermal transmission cycle.
The calculated empirical datasets conclusively demonstrate that wood shavings deliver vastly superior thermal properties across all tested variables when compared to sawdust. At the maximum airflow velocity of 1.05 meters per second, the reactor utilizing wood shavings achieved a peak internal temperature of 465.9 degrees Celsius and generated an exceptional gas yield of 46.62 percent by weight. Conversely, the sawdust-fueled configuration reached a lower maximum temperature of 418.1 degrees Celsius and yielded a significantly smaller gas fraction of 36.96 percent by weight. This stark performance gap is driven by the physical architecture of wood shavings, whose larger size and high natural porosity create ideal pathways for uniform oxygen distribution throughout the fuel bed.
The overall thermal efficiency achieved by the gasifier stove operating on wood shavings remained high and stable, ranging safely between 15.07 percent and 19.59 percent. This thermal output comfortably surpasses the performance of sawdust, which peaked at an efficiency range of only 11.83 percent to 12.99 percent. In terms of latent heat utilization, wood shavings generated double the water evaporation rate due to their ability to release energy steadily while maintaining structural integrity over extended durations. On the other hand, the ultra-fine grains of sawdust tended to pack tightly inside the reactor, obstructing internal airflow, causing drop pressures, and leaving behind a large unburned char residue exceeding 48 percent by weight.
The practical implications of these scientific insights offer invaluable guidance for small business owners, rural communities, and green energy policy developers throughout Indonesia. Local lumber mill residues such as wood shavings must no longer be discarded as waste or burned openly, but rather embraced as an efficient source of household cooking energy. Although fuel consumption naturally increases alongside higher forced airflow velocities, operating wood shavings at moderate airflow levels between 0.7 and 0.9 meters per second provides the optimal balance for maximizing fuel economy while maintaining clean combustion. Future stove design frameworks should focus on optimizing combustion chamber insulation and developing densification techniques like briquetting or pelletizing for loose sawdust to successfully replicate the superior airflow permeability inherent to wood shavings.
Thoharudin Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta
Cahya Gumilar Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta
Lailatul Fajri Helmi Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta
Research Sources
Journal Article Title: Thermal Performance and Conversion Efficiency of Biomass Gasification Stove: A Comparative Study of Sawdust and Wood Shavings
Journal Name: International Journal of Scientific Multidisciplinary Research (IJSMR)Publication Year: 2026
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