Energy Source for Pottery

Farstak Village is looking for a  sustainable and economic energy source for pottery furnaces instead of gas and electricity.
If you are a chemical engineer, Energy Specialist or a chemist, solve this challenge  and  Get a chance to win  65,000EGP provided by the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology to implement the proposed solution in collaboration with Businessmen Association in Tanta which support the pottery makers in Farastak village.

Background:

Almost all Farastak habitants work in pottery and ceramics industry for more than 30 years and depend on such industry economically. Despite the large pottery production, Farastak experiences difficulties when it comes in to provide affordinging the cost of gas cylinders as pottery makers usually need about two cylinders daily in order for the . As the pottery furnaces or kilns need to reach about 1200 C° to dry the ceramic products. This causes several problems in the later stages of production as the gas cylinders aren’t always available or some pottery makers can’t afford to buy all the amount of cylinders needed to finish the process as the gas costs about 30000 per month.

The Problem:

A large amount of heat is consumed in the pottery and ceramics industry in the firing process.The use of electricity requires a specific kiln, is not cost-efficient and electricity lines don’t reach many areas.Also, those potter makers encounter many difficulties when using gas as energy source due to the deficiency in the gas cylinders and the fire accidents that usually happen due to the accumulation of the gas in the pipes of the pottery furnaces.  Thus the need to find another reliable source of energy for these pottery makers who can’t afford the charges become a necessity. This will improve the pottery and ceramics industry and reduce the problems in marketing and selling the products, as their cost increase consequently due to the increase of charges during manufacturing.

The Challenge:

The challenge is to find alternative reliable energy source for pottery and ceramics furnaces in Farstak to replace the use of methane gas that is the main energy source used  and electricity. Thus facilitate the manufacturing process and make the products available in the markets with affordable cost and increase their competitive advantage. The solution should fulfill the following requirements:

• Eco-friendly source of energy;

• energy source  with high availability and sustainability to maintain working from 3 hrs to  7 hrs ;

• Suitable for gas pottery furnaces (kilns);

• Giving the same amount of heat resulting from gas cylinders (1000 C°  to 1200 C°);

• Taking into consideration workers safety standards.

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Reward & Conditions:

A reward of 65,000 EGP provided by the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology will be provided to the best solution to implement it in collaboration with Businessmen Association in Tanta in addition to, marketing services for the solution, according to the following conditions:

1. The solution should meet the aforementioned criteria;

2. The solution should be provided as a prototype design that serves as a proof of concept;

3. The solution should include a clear plan of action including implementation stages, timeline, required tools/materials, estimated budget, and technical support required (if applicable);

4. The reward will be given in installments, in accordance to milestones set by the innovator(s) according to their plan of action;

5. As per our platform Terms and conditions, in case the intellectual property rights are not registered, the innovator should include the minimum details required to judge the technical validity and feasibility of the solution without full technical specifications.

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