Week 3

FURTHER IDEATION💡

After week 2, we:

Started ideation ➝ Decided on the topic to explore ➝ Carried out literature review ➝ Identified gaps and/or opportunities to work on. 

Moving forward to week 3, we will be continuing with ideation and ideas selection using meta-cognition thinking skills 'Generating Possibilities' and 'Evaluation' to find solutions to addressing the research gap.

Using SCAMPER! this was what we came up with:

Substitute:

• Use of mechanical composter instead of an automated composter.
• Addition of Carbon rich waste into composter, while removing some nitrogen waste. (Ensure that the ratio of carbon to nitrogen rich waste is 2:1)
• Substitute use of bones for compost to ground bones.

Combine:

• Combining food waste with other chemicals to produce 
• Biofuels;
• Biodegradable materials;
• Perfumery and Cosmetic products.
• Combine food waste and compost producing better fertilisers.
• Combine with enzymes that removes harmful bacteria, to turn into skincare products.

Adapt:

• Include a dehumidifier for climates that are much more humid.
• Provide conducive environment for growth so that composting can occur more readily.
• Fermenting of food waste to make environmentally friendly soap.

Modify:

• Adjust the size of the composters in order to accommodate for larger volumes of food waste at once.

Put into another use:

• Reuse food waste as multipurpose, environmental friendly packaging for food products.
• Used tea leaves can be reused as natural cleaning agents.

Eliminate:

• Eliminate liquids from food waste
• Eliminate the packaging of the waste products by eco-friendly means. (e.g. plastic packaging can be recycled)
• Eliminate any unusable parts of the food waste. (e.g. mould)

Reverse:

• Turning and manufacturing food waste into pet food.
• Turning and reusing food waste as cattle feed.

Feasibility analysis:

Feasibility analysis is also known as a feasibility study. 

It does not only help us decide if a project is viable. It also allows us to gain better understanding on our project.

Sieving out ideas quickly:

• Budget 
• How much does it cost?

• Project timeline 
• Can a project be completed within the stipulated timeframe?

• Technical Feasibility 
• Is the project feasible within the limits of current technology?
• Does the technology exist at all?
• Does the lab have sufficient space to support the project?
• Are the required utilities available?
• does it need any computer software and hardware?

• Operational Feasibility
• Does the project team have sufficient manpower to carry out the project?
• Is it legal to operate the project?
• Is it safe to operate the project?

Idea : Production of environmental friendly soap by fermenting fruit and vegetable waste.	YES	NO
Budget -  Less than S$2000?	✓
Project Timeline  - Can be completed within one semester?	✓
Technical Feasibility - Evaluate the technical feasibility of the project.
Is the project feasible within the limits of current technology?	✓
Are the required utilities available?	✓
Does the lab have necessary testing and fabrication equipment?		✓
Does it need any computer software and hardware?	✓
Do we possess the necessary technical expertise and skills?		✓
Does the lab have sufficient space to support the project?	✓
Operational Feasibility
Does the project team have sufficient manpower to carry out the project?	✓
Is it legal to operate the project?	✓
Is it safe to operate the project?	✓

Idea : Provide a conducive environment for bacteria growth so that composting can occur more easily. (plant humidifier to increase humidity)	YES	NO
Budget -  Less than S$2000?		✓
Project Timeline  - Can be completed within one semester?	✓
Technical Feasibility - Evaluate the technical feasibility of the project.
Is the project feasible within the limits of current technology?	✓
Are the required utilities available?	✓
Does the lab have necessary testing and fabrication equipment?	✓
Does it need any computer software and hardware?	✓
Do we possess the necessary technical expertise and skills?		✓
Does the lab have sufficient space to support the project?	✓
Operational Feasibility
Does the project team have sufficient manpower to carry out the project?	✓
Is it legal to operate the project?	✓
Is it safe to operate the project?	✓

Idea : Combing of fruit waste that are wasted and not sold to consumers to create perfumery and cosmetic products.	YES	NO
Budget -  Less than S$2000?		✓
Project Timeline  - Can be completed within one semester?		✓
Technical Feasibility - Evaluate the technical feasibility of the project.
Is the project feasible within the limits of current technology?	✓
Are the required utilities available?	✓
Does the lab have necessary testing and fabrication equipment?	✓
Does it need any computer software and hardware?	✓
Do we possess the necessary technical expertise and skills?	✓
Does the lab have sufficient space to support the project?	✓
Operational Feasibility
Does the project team have sufficient manpower to carry out the project?	✓
Is it legal to operate the project?	✓
Is it safe to operate the project?	✓

Idea : Reuse food waste as multipurpose, environmentally friendly packaging for food products.	YES	NO
Budget - Less than S$2000?	✓
Project Timeline - Can be completed within one semester?		✓
Technical Feasibility - Evaluate the technical feasibility of the project.
Is the project feasible within the limits of current technology?	✓
Are the required utilities available?	✓
Does the lab have necessary testing and fabrication equipment?	✓
Does it need any computer software and hardware?		✓
Do we possess the necessary technical expertise and skills?		✓
Does the lab have sufficient space to support the project?	✓
Operational Feasibility
Does the project team have sufficient manpower to carry out the project?	✓
Is it legal to operate the project?	✓
Is it safe to operate the project?	✓

COWS 🐮 DECISION MATRIX:

Criteria:

1. Cost
2. Technology availability
3. Ease of Operation
4. Long-term benefits to Environment
5. Ease of maintenance

Cost was chosen as one of the criteria because it is important for it to be cheaper so as to start up the idea, thus we decided that the weightage should be 20%.

Technology availability is more important, due to limited resources, without the technology needed there is no way that the project can continue on, thus the weightage should be the highest of all at 20%.

Ease of operation is also another important criteria we have decided on. This is so that when the project is up, workers will be able to handle and work efficiently.

Long-term benefits to the environment is also the one with the highest weightage same as availability of parts. This is due to our problem statement which aims to reuse and recycle food waste due to the major increase in the environment. 

Ease of maintenance is then the last criteria we decided on which has also the lowest weightage same as ease of operation, 15%. 

Table 1: Decision Matrix for ideas 

Criteria	Weightages (%)	Options
		Upscaling of oil extracted from food waste into cosmetics		Fermentation of fruit and vegetable waste to make soap		Environmentally friendly packaging from food waste
		Raw Score	Weighted Score	Raw Score	Weighted Score	Raw Score	Weighted Score
a. Cost efficient	20	1	20	2	40	2	40
b. Availability of technology	20	1	20	3	60	2	50
c. Ease of operation	15	1	15	2	30	1	15
d. Long-term benefits to environment	30	3	90	3	90	2	60
e. Ease of maintenance	15	1	15	2	30	2	30
Score	100		160		235		185

To conclude, from our COWS decision matrix, the idea, environmentally friendly soap from food waste has the highest score of 235. Therefore, this is the idea that is planned to be designed and implemented.