NEWS SERVICE / MICHAEL RAMÍREZ

A third of the world's population uses wood-burning stoves. In Mexico alone, 5 million homes use them for cooking, according to INEGI. That means 28 million people are exposed to the risks of burns or carbon monoxide poisoning.

In an effort to find a scientific solution to the issue, several Tecnológico de Monterrey students, under the guidance of professors Humberto Aguayo and Alejandro Huesca, developed an environmentally-friendly, efficient, and portable wood-burning stove that also prevents carbon-monoxide poisoning.

It is a prototype incorporating technology far advanced to that of other wood-burning stoves, which is why the Technology Transfer Office, headed by Prof. Patricia Mora, filed a patent application, the first by undergraduate Tecnológico de Monterrey students.

Its inventors state that this stove, named "Kauil" (god of fire, in Maya) consumes 60% less wood than others of the same category, making it environmentally-friendly. It also avoids carbon-monoxide inhalation as it has a flue that sends the smoke outside.

The stove's student inventors are part of the Innovation Arena academic program, lead by Mario Martínez, PhD., and consists of a multidisciplinary team of students from different fields who work for a year on developing an innovative product.