'Hardworking' rice hull stove

As prices of liquefied petroleum gas continue to soar in the world market, a farmer's modest cooking stove aims to cut the cost of cooking. "With my invention, the need to use liquefied petroleum gas has been reduced," Agaton Milagroso, the inventor of a cost-efficient rice hull stove said. 'Sipag-Kalan' (the hardworking-stove) is an odd contraption that looks more like a capsized UFO ship than a cooking furnace. It works this way: Ipa or rice hull is poured unto the stove's cast iron bowl which is then funneled through the pore-like openings of a cylindrical chamber in the middle. To start the cooking process, pieces of paper or dry wood can be ignited in the middle of the cylinder. Meanwhile, the ash is collected by a metal box under the stove which is then used as fertilizer. The rice hull stove also comes fully-equipped with a steel ring to ensure that the pots remain in place. Studies reveal that rice hulls are excellent fuel alternatives capable of powering even steam engines. The ash produced from the burnt husks is proven to be high in silica which can also be used for construction materials, oil absorbent, soil ameliorant, insulation as well as insect repellant. And since rice hulls are used in the stove, rural folks need not to chop wood for fuel, making it ecologically friendly. - Mark Ubalde, GMANews.TV