Alexis Belonio
Encyclopedia
Alexis T. Belonio is a professor, engineer, scientist, innovator, and inventor from the Philippines
. He was the first Filipino
to receive the Rolex Award for Enterprise in 2008 due to his creation of a low-cost and environment friendly rice husk stove
. Belonio was included by the Rolex
watchmaking company on its list of 10 model innovators in November 2008.
at the Central Philippine University
of Iloilo City
, received $
50,000 and a chronometer
from the Rolex company for being included in the five Associate Laureates of the Rolex Award. Belonio was 48 years old when he received the award, and said that he would use the money he received in promoting and disseminating his technology to other people without asking anything in return, by publishing information about the invention and establishing a Center for Rice Husk Technology in his hometown at Iloilo, Philippines. The actual formal recognition of Belonio by Rolex as the first Filipino Associate Laureate of the Rolex Award was held at The Manila Peninsula in the City of Makati on January 21, 2009.
dryers and water pumps which can be used by low-income Filipino farmers. Belonio concentrated on innovating the rice husk oven even though the concept was not a new one, because there was already the so-called Lo Trao from Vietnam
. The difference was that Belonio's invention does not produce smoke and has a stable fire without a tar-like residue. Belonio used good engineering and ample ventilation for his stove, which is characterized by a small fan that is powered either by electricity or batteries, producing a more efficient burn of the rice husks.
Belonio's first ovens cost $100 (or around ₱
5,000) each, but due to further development and research, he was able to lower the price to $25 (or around ₱1,250) each. The only expected expense for the user of the oven would be 20 cents per day for running the built-in fan inside the stove. The invention is currently being produced by companies in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Cambodia, all cooperating with Belonio's works. According to Belonio his stove would be able to save a family of rice farmers $150 per year in fuel expenses. He also added that a ton of rice husk contains energy equal to 415 liters of petroleum (or 378 liters of kerosene). Belonio's stove lessens toxic fumes and smoke that affect the environment, and reduces greenhouse gases
. The burnt remnants of the rice husks can later be used as soil fertilizers or in making small blocks of coal substitute.
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. He was the first Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
to receive the Rolex Award for Enterprise in 2008 due to his creation of a low-cost and environment friendly rice husk stove
Stove
A stove is an enclosed heated space. The term is commonly taken to mean an enclosed space in which fuel is burned to provide heating, either to heat the space in which the stove is situated or to heat the stove itself, and items placed on it...
. Belonio was included by the Rolex
Rolex
Rolex SA is a Swiss watchmaking manufacturer of high-quality, luxury wristwatches. Rolex watches are popularly regarded as status symbols and BusinessWeek magazine ranks Rolex No.71 on its 2007 annual list of the 100 most valuable global brands...
watchmaking company on its list of 10 model innovators in November 2008.
Profile
Belonio, who is an associate professor in agricultural engineeringAgricultural engineering
Agricultural engineering is the engineering discipline that applies engineering science and technology to agricultural production and processing...
at the Central Philippine University
Central Philippine University
Central Philippine University is a non-stock, non-profit Christian institution of higher learning in Iloilo City, Iloilo, Philippines. It was founded in 1905 by American Baptist missionaries as an elementary school for poor boys which eventually opened up a high school in 1920. It converted into...
of Iloilo City
Iloilo City
The City of Iloilo is a highly urbanized city in the Philippines and the capital city of Iloilo province. It is the regional center of the Western Visayas, as well as the center of the Iloilo-Guimaras Metropolitan Area...
, received $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
50,000 and a chronometer
Chronometer
Chronometer may refer to:* Chronometer watch, a watch tested and certified to meet certain precision standards* Hydrochronometer, a water clock* Marine chronometer, a timekeeper used for celestial navigation...
from the Rolex company for being included in the five Associate Laureates of the Rolex Award. Belonio was 48 years old when he received the award, and said that he would use the money he received in promoting and disseminating his technology to other people without asking anything in return, by publishing information about the invention and establishing a Center for Rice Husk Technology in his hometown at Iloilo, Philippines. The actual formal recognition of Belonio by Rolex as the first Filipino Associate Laureate of the Rolex Award was held at The Manila Peninsula in the City of Makati on January 21, 2009.
History
Belonio started work relating to rice husks in 2003, at a time when there were high fuel prices. As an expert, he had already designed thirty devices such as paddyPaddy field
A paddy field is a flooded parcel of arable land used for growing rice and other semiaquatic crops. Paddy fields are a typical feature of rice farming in east, south and southeast Asia. Paddies can be built into steep hillsides as terraces and adjacent to depressed or steeply sloped features such...
dryers and water pumps which can be used by low-income Filipino farmers. Belonio concentrated on innovating the rice husk oven even though the concept was not a new one, because there was already the so-called Lo Trao from Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. The difference was that Belonio's invention does not produce smoke and has a stable fire without a tar-like residue. Belonio used good engineering and ample ventilation for his stove, which is characterized by a small fan that is powered either by electricity or batteries, producing a more efficient burn of the rice husks.
Belonio's first ovens cost $100 (or around ₱
Philippine peso
The peso is the currency of the Philippines. It is subdivided into 100 centavos . Before 1967, the language used on the banknotes and coins was English and so "peso" was the name used...
5,000) each, but due to further development and research, he was able to lower the price to $25 (or around ₱1,250) each. The only expected expense for the user of the oven would be 20 cents per day for running the built-in fan inside the stove. The invention is currently being produced by companies in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Cambodia, all cooperating with Belonio's works. According to Belonio his stove would be able to save a family of rice farmers $150 per year in fuel expenses. He also added that a ton of rice husk contains energy equal to 415 liters of petroleum (or 378 liters of kerosene). Belonio's stove lessens toxic fumes and smoke that affect the environment, and reduces greenhouse gases
Greenhouse effect
The greenhouse effect is a process by which thermal radiation from a planetary surface is absorbed by atmospheric greenhouse gases, and is re-radiated in all directions. Since part of this re-radiation is back towards the surface, energy is transferred to the surface and the lower atmosphere...
. The burnt remnants of the rice husks can later be used as soil fertilizers or in making small blocks of coal substitute.
Description
Belonio's rice husk stove is a small cylinder equipped with a fan in its base, which provides air during the conversion of rice hulls into gas. It was designed as an apparatus that can be easily operated. Fish can be fried in fifteen minutes using the stove. The stove consumes 2 kilograms of rice husks per hour. It does not produce any smoke, and the burnt rice husks can still be used as coal and also as insulating cement for traditional stoves fueled by wood. Plans for the stove are available free of charge from the internet.External links
- Alexis Belonio and his inventions, with photographs and descriptions, BioEnergy Lists: Biomass Cooking Stoves, Bionenergylists.org
- Alexis Belonio - 2008 Associate Laureate, with photographs of Belonio and his invention, Rolexawards.com
- Alexis Belonio Rice Husk Quasi Gasifier Stove, photographs and descriptions, Bioenergylists.org
- Alexis Belonio, Luminous Hope, a quotation from Alexis Belonio, Rolexawards.com
- Alexis Belonio and his inventions, Bioenergylists.com
- Alexis Belonio, Associate Laureate, photographs, Recent Headlines, For the Media, Rolex Awards for Enterprise, Resnicow Schroeder, Resnicowschroeder.com
- Alexis T. Belonio, Wikipilipinas.org
- Tradition of innovation, (...) "Five runners-up, the Associate Laureates, will each receive $50,000 (Dh183,690) and a steel and gold Rolex chronometer. The Associate Laureates are Alexis Belonio from the Philippines, Arturo Gonzalez and Rodrigo Medellin from Mexico and Moji Riba and Romulus Whitaker from India." (...), Gulfnews.com