Processing students' green incense sticks

Student group of Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City has just created a more environmentally friendly type of incense, not harmful to human health.

The research team has replaced the powder coat (usually made from sawdust, caged wood) which is the material that incense makers often use with rice husk powder, coconut fiber, walnut shell.

"These are materials that contain many organic substances, so it is easy to burn, the combustion component mainly produces CO ₂ and water, less harmful to health," said Nguyen Thi Nhu Quynh, a member of the research team.

The group of students surveyed the status of using incense of Ho Chi Minh City residents in 6 districts, 31 pagodas, 3 houses, and at the same time learning about the type of incense that consumers target.

Walnut shell.

"The results showed that consumers like incense scented, environmentally friendly, no toxic gas, little smoke, long burning time but low age , " Quynh said.

After comparing the advantages and disadvantages of three types of rice husk incense, coconut fiber and walnut shells, students chose walnuts made from walnut shells to put them into production as "Huong Green".

Quynh analyzed, walnut shells were cheap, easy to collect from factories producing fruits, and incense made from this material burned longer than normal incense.

According to the calculation of the group, the amount of solid waste released by the new incense tree is also less than that of the original incense stick of 0.085g. If you burn 10g, the walnut made of walnut shell emits 0.168g, while the type of incense usually releases 0.253g.

"Parameters like CO ₂ - one of the main factors causing the greenhouse effect, benzene and toluene - substances that can cause cancer - of new incense are less than normal incense , " Quynh added.

According to the number given by the group, using new incense products until 2020 will save about VND 800 billion.

Proposal "Production of some environmentally friendly incense sticks" reached the final round of the 13th Euréka Scientific Research Student Awards this year.