Characterization of a parabolic solar cooker made from recycled materials

Currently, in some communities, firewood is still used to cook or conserve heat; this action generates great problems for health and the environment, one of them is the great risk of fires and/or asphyxiation due to smoke inhalation, another is the deforestation that is carried out to obtain firewood and, finally, the generation of methane, ozone precursors and carbon dioxide when burning any of these. This work proposes the use of a parabolic solar stove, made from recycled materials, such as cardboard, self-adhesive contact paper as reflective material, Masking tape®, which allows reducing manufacturing costs, helping low-income families and being environmentally friendly. The results obtained with respect to the time required for cooking various foods, the temperatures reached throughout the process, as well as information on meteorological variables obtained from the IQUERETA29 meteorological station located at the Technological University of San Juan del Río and administered by the Querétaro State Water Commission are shown.