Singal, SavitaShukla, Shivangi2017-06-032017-06-032014http://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810014126The present study was conducted in two phases. Phase-I was status of biomass availability in Haryana. For this, rice, jowar, bajra, maize, cotton, sugarcane, wheat, barley, gram, and rapeseed and mustard were identified as major crops of Haryana. Findings reveled that in kharif season, rice crop generated the highest amount of biomass and in rabi season, highest amount of biomass was generated from wheat crop. Energy potential was also found highest in these two crops (rice in kharif season and wheat in rabi season). Phase-II was experimental work. In this phase, three types of biomass i.e. cotton stalk, twigs and leaves, and sawdust were used in seven different combinations for making of pellets. The prepared pellets were tested on the basis of moisture content, compression strength, calorific value, thermal efficiency, gas composition, and ash content. It was found that pellets made from different combinations were more or less similar to each other on one or more parameters. Pellets were disseminated to ten women respondents (who were similar on the basis of physical parameters) in village Kaimeri, district Hisar (Haryana) for economic and ergonomic evaluation of use of pellets. All the respondents were instructed to prepare the standardized meal (20 chapattis with 1 kg wheat flour and ½ kg potato curry) both, on traditional mud stove and pellet stove. During cooking, time, fuel, and money cost of pellets (used in pellet stove) and biomass (used in traditional mud stove) was calculated and significant saving of time, fuel and money was found during cooking on pellet stove over traditional mud stove. Environmental, physiological and biomechanical parameters were also recorded before and after 20 minutes of start of cooking, both, on traditional mud stove and pellet stove. Significant change in temperature, CO2 content, heart rate, energy expenditure, lung function and angle of deviation at both cervical and lumber region of respondents was found during cooking on traditional mud stove. Whereas, no significant change in any of the parameter except Vmax25%, Vmax50% and SVC was found during cooking on pellet stove. VAD score was also found high after 20 minutes of cooking on traditional mud stove than pellet stove.enbiomass, crops, energy resources, crop residues, mud, cotton, wheats, diseases, rice, productivityThesis