Abstract:
Efforts to improve access to modern energy services globally, including in Rwanda, aim to alleviate poverty, reduce environmental and health impacts while sustain economic growth. Despite these efforts, 1.26 billion people still lack electricity, and 2.64 billion rely on traditional biomass fuels for cooking. Recent initiatives promote the use of cooking gases as a cleaner alternative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and environmental degradation. This study investigates the impact of different cooking fuels on air quality in Ngororero District, Western Province, Rwanda. Data was collected from 398 randomly selected households using air pollutant sensors. Statistical analysis compared the mean and standard deviation of particulate matter (PM2.5) and Carbon Monoxide (CO) emissions across three fuel types: Charcoal, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), and Wood. Results indicate that Wood produces the highest and most variable PM2.5 emissions, with a median concentration of approximately 275 µg/m³. Charcoal has a median PM2.5 concentration of 25 µg/m³, while LPG shows the lowest emissions with a median of 15 µg/m³ while CO vary respectively Charcoal: 8640 µg/m³, Wood: 1830 µg/m³, LPG: 210 µg/m³. These findings suggest that LPG is the cleanest option in terms of particulate emissions, followed by Charcoal, with Wood contributing the most to air pollution.
