EcoFactor: Alternative fuel for cooking.
This new conceptual design by award-winning Korean designer Seokmoon Woo, claims to tackle one of our prime problems. The Electrolux appliance has multiple benefits. Not only does it find a good way to get rid of food waste, but it also has the potential to entirely replace LPG and is extremely eco-friendly. The function is simple, which is probably why this product is very appealing. Throw in a bunch of food waste into the opening compartment as shown in the above picture and the appliance does the rest of the work for you.
It is designed in a way that it immediately starts fermenting the load and creates methane that can be used as fuel for the gas range; the consequential waste is dried out by the appliance and composed in a tank at the bottom that can be disposed of later. Methane is the major component of natural gas. At room temperature and standard pressure, methane is a colorless and odorless gas unlike natural gas, which is an artificial safety measure. So with this appliance, not only do you have a hybrid gas solution, but also a safe way of getting rid of trash!
The Dark Side:
Kudos to the designer for coming up with such an innovative design. I don’t see any demerits to this design, as it’s wisely designed, keeping the growing environmental problems in mind. Burning methane produces less carbon dioxide for each unit of heat released and is claimed to be more environmentally friendly than fossil fuels such as gasoline/petrol and diesel. Hybrid gas solutions certainly have a huge potential at solving a wide range of problems, and more such designs need to encouraged.
Via: Hometone
Comments
Wow seems to be an excellent invention. Great hybrid solution.
By Jess
Yes, it is a great invention. I really hope that a product with so much potential should come into the market as soon as possible. The concept is brilliant and the designers have done an excellent job, as not only does this find a good way to dump waste but also creates an alternative fuel.
This seems to the best way to take care of garbage and at the same time generate fuel for cooking! Wish such innovative concepts soon materialize so that we can make the best of it!
I know Deepa! I really hope it comes into the market as soon as possible. The sad part is that such products will probably come to India when I turn 40! *Sniff Sniff* No doubt that this has massive potential. I also hope that the price isn’t enormous, otherwise the commoners won’t be able to purchase it!
One comment and a question....
Q. About how much methane will this unit produce? Will it produce enough to make a substantial dent in the amount of gas needed for cooking? It’s hard to tell from the article.
I also wouldn’t dismiss the safety aspects of the natural gas used in homes versus the colorless and odorless nature of methane. If you smell that odor in your house, you have a gas leak, and its time to call the gas company and get out of there (and don’t light any matches!). I would think that with this device, they could figure out a way to add a bit of that smell to the methane, so I don’t see it as a showstopper.
mb-bigb
Hey Robert! The company hasn’t really commented on a rough estimate of Methane produced, but it does claim that it will produce a substantial amount that could be used for cooking and I have mentioned that in the article. I really think this concept is brilliant because it finds a safe and completely eco-friendly way of utilizing waste food.
I agree that the smell of natural gas helps us during gas leaks, but don’t you think it’s about time that we start looking for ecologically-sound alternative sources of energy. Methane gas is a near-twin of the natural gas and can be used for cooking. Only recently have people begun to regard methane as a potentially revolutionary source of controllable energy, this appliance encourages that, which is why I love it!