Milk Cooler Powered by Renewable Energy Could Help Ugandan Dairy Farmers.
Renewable EnergyWorld.com, February 6, 2009

"An engineer from the East African country, William Kisaalita, currently
a professor of biological and agricultural engineering at the University
of Georgia, has developed a unique system, using renewable energy, that
allows farmers to keep their milk cold. Then they can transport it to
sell it in distant markets -- and boost their profits.

Small-scale dairy farmers in Uganda and other developing countries face
major obstacles. "These farmers can't refrigerate their milk because
they don't have electricity, and they're too poor to afford kerosene
fridges," says Kisaalita.

He reengineered the CoolSystem beer cooler, which was manufactured to
meet the needs of affluent beer drinkers in Europe and Asia, and adapted
it to the needs of smallholder dairy farmers in his home country.

Kisaalita says his remodeled cooler uses a mineral called zeolite — a
natural, volcanic, rock-like substance with a "micro-porous structure"
that's mined in various parts of the world, including the United States.
Zeolite has a remarkable capacity to absorb water. The principle is what
is very well known as evaporative cooling.

The system has to be regenerated to enable it to cool the milk
repeatedly. Kisaalita continues that this essential regeneration will
happen by means of renewable energy.

"We're looking at...either using charcoal or biogas. We're leaning
towards biogas, as the waste from cattle will be [readily] available to
power the cooler." "

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=54675

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