Cookstove Sensor

Air pollution contributes to approximately one in six deaths globally. Many homes in rural Peru still use open-fire cookstoves inside the home. In an effort to reduce exposure to harmful emissions from these cookstoves, Peru’s National Training Service for the Construction Industry (SENCICO) measures these emissions and approves cookstoves that meet the safety specifications. Commercial sensors, while available, are expensive and, due to sensor drift, must regularly be sent back to the US for calibration.

Previous teams have developed a working sensor that reads CO₂, CO, and particulate matter (both pm 2.5 and pm 10). This year’s team will extensively test this sensor to ensure accurate readings and determine sensor drift.