PENANG, May 2013 - A team of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) researchers led by Prof. Mohd Zulkifly Abdullah unveiled the ‘porous medium stove with cogeneration’ at a press conference here recently. 

According to Zulkifly, this stove reduces the production of carbon monoxide and nitrous oxides by having a more efficient combustion and therefore saving up to 50 per cent on gas consumption.

He also said that the stove is able to operate on either butane gas which is available in cartridges for camping uses, or Liquified Petroleum Gas which is commonly used by households.

“The temperature of a normal stove varies between 650^oC – 660^oC but with the porous medium stove with cogeneration, the temperature is able to rise to 720^oC,” he said, adding that within the hexagonal shape burner of the stove is a porous ceramic material comprising high melting point alumina material coated with silicon carbide.

There are thermoelectric (TE) cells attached to the exterior of the hexagonal shaped burner and these cells produce electricity when they are exposed to the high temperature generated by the stove in use.

“An electric current is produced when these cells are heated and it is possible, especially for outdoor purposes where there is no electrical outlet, to charge your mobile phone, portable radio, or batteries while you are cooking,” he said.

The project took three years to complete and the prototype stove costs about RM400 but it is going to be about half the price if a stove comes without the thermoelectric cells.

Zulkifly’s team comprises Prof. Zainal Arifin Ahmad, Ahmad Kamal Ismail, and Abdul Rashid Jamaludin.

At the same press conference, a new crunchy delectable yet nutritious biscuit was announced by Dr. Sapina Abdullah who said that the biscuit is made from spent tea leaves and has a significant amount of antioxidants and fibre.

She explained that factories that manufacture tea drinks have an abundance of spent tea leaves after tea extraction. It is a problem faced by manufacturers on how to dispose the spent tea leaves and one of the existing solutions is to turn them into fertilizers since tea leaves have a high water-holding capacity.

USM Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Dato’ Omar Osman said that the biscuit, BISTEA, comprises about 10 per cent by weight of the flour used.

Sapina then added that BISTEA provides a high amount of dietary fibre of at least 15 grammes for every 100 grammes of the biscuits. Thus it is rather filling, having to eat fewer, making it suitable as a slimming aid or for dieting purposes.

“The significant amount of antioxidants and fibre in BISTEA renders a synergistic hypoglycemic effect and its ability to inhibit carbohydrate digestive enzymes and delay the liberation of glucose in the intestine makes it suitable for diabetic patients,” said Sapina.

Her team comprises Prof. Abd Karim Alias, Syahariza Zaunul Abidin, Nur Rashidah Mohd Ali, Nur Alwani Rusli, Muhammad Fahlul Bariqi, and Izzuddin Ismail.

Omar said that USM aims to create entrepreneurs among researchers who may be given the responsibility and ability to work with the industry to commercialise their products.

 

Both these innovations which won the gold award in the recent International Invention, Innovation and Technology Exhibition (ITEX) 2013 in Kuala Lumpur, will be taken to the next level… commercialisation. – Text: Yong Check Yoon & Nor Rafizah Md Zain/Photos: Yong Check Yoon