Firewood and charcoal are the most dominant sources of fuel for domestic cooking applications in sub-Saharan Africa. In this study, performance and emission characteristics of firewood and charcoal from five commonly used species, namely, Dichrostachys cinerea, Morus Lactea, Piliostigma thonningii, Combretum molle, and Albizia grandibracteata were obtained. The water boiling test and emissions monitoring system for CO, CO₂, and PM_2.5 were used to determine fuel and energy consumption, thermal efficiency and emissions, and emissions’ factors. The results showed that firewood combustion required higher energy consumption compared to charcoal combustion. High-power thermal efficiency was the highest (> 45%) for all charcoal derived from the firewood species. During hot-start, cold-start, and simmering operations, it was observed that thermal efficiencies were generally higher for charcoal fuels (≥ 80%) compared to the firewood (< 40%) from where they were pyrolyzed. Firewood has a much lower indoor CO emissions footprint when compared to using charcoal. Nonetheless, CO emission levels for both firewood and charcoal exceed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines of 35 ppm (1-h average). CO₂ emission factors are the most dominant and highest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions from household use of firewood and charcoal. Overall, this work re-affirms the need for proper ventilation when firewood and charcoal are used in combustion.

木柴和木炭是撒哈拉以南非洲家庭烹饪应用的最主要燃料来源。在这项研究中，获得了五种常用物种（即Dichrostachys cinerea、Morus Lactea、Piliostigma thonningii、Combretum molle和Albizia grandibracteata ）的木柴和木炭的性能和排放特征。_{CO、CO 2}、PM _2.5水沸腾测试及排放监测系统用于确定燃料和能源消耗、热效率和排放以及排放因素。结果表明，与木炭燃烧相比，木柴燃烧需要更高的能量消耗。大功率热效率是所有来自木柴物种的木炭中最高的 (> 45%)。在热启动、冷启动和慢火操作期间，观察到木炭燃料的热效率 (≥ 80%) 与热解木柴 (< 40%) 相比通常更高。与使用木炭相比，木柴的室内二氧化碳排放足迹要低得多。尽管如此，木柴和木炭的二氧化碳排放水平超过了环境保护署 (EPA) 的 35 ppm（1 小时平均值）指南。二氧化碳_{_}排放因素是家庭使用木柴和木炭产生的温室气体排放的最主要和最大贡献者。总的来说，这项工作再次证实了在燃烧木柴和木炭时需要适当的通风。