Due to limited budgets, solid fuels such as wood, crop residue and animal dung are used throughout the developing world [8]. Dung is a commonly used biomass fuel. Dung produces higher amounts of poisonous CO emissions compared to wood and agricultural residues. The release of CO is one of the most hazardous products from biomass combustion stoves [9]. The production of CO is directly related to the burn rate [10]. Stove users generally utilize burn rate to control the power output of the stoves with an increase in burn rate resulting in an increase in power output [11]. Therefore, burn rate is of critical importance in any stove design. Microgasification prior to combustion can reduce harmful emissions production, and also promotes the production of biochar. Biochar is the term used to describe charcoal that is added to soil as a soil enhancer. It is formed when biomass is heated in a low oxygen environment. Biochar has the potential to boost agricultural production through increased soil moisture retention, reduced nutrient leaching, increased microbial activity and increased soil pH [12]. Biochar is also an effective way of sequestering carbon from the atmosphere, making biochar cook stoves an important tool in combating rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations [13]. One particular stove design that can reduce harmful emissions and produce biochar from solid-fuel combustion is a top-lit up-draft (TLUD) microgasifier stove (Fig 1). The combustion process of a TLUD stove can produce fewer harmful emissions and preserves the charcoal as biochar for use an organic soil enhancer [14]. This technology can be applied to a stove to burn almost any solid biomass fuel, including wood pellets, nut shells, crop residues, textile waste and animal dung, thereby reducing the depletion of wood resources [15]. Work by [16] presents some of the advances made for TLUD stoves, but more scientific information is required for design optimization of these types of stoves.