Looking for those innovative stoves?

Want to get an innovative stove that uses agricultural waste instead of fuel gas?

Here’s a response to inquiries of those who read a Philippine STAR report on Dec. 27 about award-winning cooking devices that do away with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

One of the stoves, named Maligaya Rice Hull Stove (MRHS), was designed by the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice), whose central experiment station and main office are situated along the national highway in Barangay Maligaya, Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija.

The stove, which makes use of rice hull (ipa) as fuel, can cook one’s food and boil water for coffee or a hot bath.

Dr. Leocadio Sebastian, PhilRice executive director, said those who want more information about the MRHS can call 0920-9111398.

The callers can inquire where they can procure the stove, which has won an award from the United Nations-Food and Agriculture Organization (UN-FAO) for its being environment-friendly.

Sebastian said a number of manufacturers in various parts of the country have been fabricating the MRHS, with PhilRice giving the design for free. The stove’s adjusted cost is P750.

Another innovative stove, the Mayon Turbo Stove (MTS) and Dryer, was designed by the Aklan State University (ASU) in Banga, Aklan.

It primarily uses ipa although corn cob, coconut shell chips and shells of peanut and pili nut can also be used as alternative fuels.

ASU, headed by its president, Dr. Benny Palma, initially put up an outlet in Metro Manila (Sagana 100, 11-B Kamias Road, Quezon City) for its MTS and dryer.

In using the MTS, one needs only 2.5 to three sacks (25-30 kilograms) of rice hull a week for cooking rice (20-30 minutes for one kg of rice), boiling water and frying (both six to eight minutes).

The byproduct after cooking, carbonized rice hull, can be used as soil conditioner, fertilizer and insect repellant and for cleaning pots and pans.

Another environment-friendly stove, the Protos, was designed by the BSH Bosch and Siemens Hausgerate GmbH of Germany in partnership with the Leyte State University (LSU) in Baybay, Leyte and other European entities.

Regarded as the world’s first plant oil-fueled stove, Protos is expected to be commercialized early this 2007, LSU president Dr. Paciencia Po-Milan said.

The stove is fueled by plant oil, particularly coconut oil (others that can be used are peanut, corn, and castor oils). Two gallons of crude coconut oil, costing P200, are enough to cook one’s food in a month.

For more information about Protos, those interested can get in touch with LSU’s Manila office (521-2027) or Milan in Baybay, Leyte.