Current Technologies

Grinds grains and dried vegetables into flour or grinds nuts into a paste/butter. We have two models in production, both functionally similar, but optimized for manufacture in two locations.

Both models:
• are used for peanuts, grains, corn, coffee, breadfruit
• can be powered by hand crank, pedal power, or electric motor
• are more reliable than similarly priced grinders
• use nearly identical burrs, bearings, and augers and have similar performance
- Pedal Powered Grinder (PDF)
- Pedal Powered Device Construction Guide (PDF)

Ewing III
The Ewing III is manufactured in Kampala, Uganda; has a sheet metal body, and requires less sophisticated manufacturing steps.
- Informational Brochure (PDF)
- Operator Manual (PDF 1MB)
- Operator Manual - smaller file size (PDF)

Omega VI
The Omega VI is manufactured in the USA with a cast aluminum body and a stainless steel shaft and helix. A box has been designed for shipping and then mounting the Omega VI grinder.
- Informational Brochure (PDF)
- Operator Manual (PDF 5MB)
- Grinder Box Stand Construction Guide (PDF)

Also called a rustic store, this is a sturdy structure with a slat floor over a pool of water and a thatch or ventilated roof. Crops can be kept fresh in the moist air for as long as four months, adding significantly to value received by farmers. This is currently in use in India for potato storage.

Allows corn to be removed from the cob with a simple twist. Local craftsmen can make this simple crafted wooden sheller and sell them at a cost within the reach of most families. The sheller can be made with very simple tools; hand saw, coping saw, hand drill and some nails or small bolts. The nails or bolts that come together in the center make room for the cob but the corn is wiped off with a simple twist of the corn.
- Constructing a corn sheller (PDF)

Removes undesired skins from potatoes and breadfruit. These machines are used to make potato chips. During the potato harvest season, potato prices are very low, and farmers do not have access to cold storage. Making potato chips allows farmers or local entrepreneurs to take advantage of higher prices and longer shelf life in the chip market.

The small peeler is simply a barrel cut in half. The inside is coated with an abrasive material. It is mounted on a stand so that it can be hand-cranked. As the barrel rotates, the potatoes tumble and rub against the abrasive material until they are fully peeled. The big peeler is motorized.
- Potato Peeler and Slicer (PDF)

Facilitates drying or cooking of potatoes and breadfruit.
The slicer can be bicycle powered or motorized. It also consists of a small drum with an arm inside that pushes the potatoes toward the outside of the drum. A blade is mounted on the drum so that the potatoes are thinly sliced as the potatoes are pushed past it. The slices land in a water-filled tub. They are blanched, dipped in a chemical to preserve them and finally, sun dried to extend their shelf life.

Customers purchase the dried chips and fry them at home just before serving, usually for festivals and special occasions. Or, they can be ground into potato flour to make other products.

With the exception of the slicer blades, peelers and slicers are made by local manufacturers from parts and metal stock readily available in India.

Gently dries fruits and vegetables while retaining color and flavor. Because fresh fruits and vegetables have a limited time during which they may be saleable, preserving the abundance by dehydration may be an option for some fruits and vegetables.

The case dehydrator shown has an internal rack for placing screen trays on which food to be dried is placed. The glass or plastic covered solar collector is heated by the sun’s rays and in turn heats air surrounding it. Warm air has a greater capacity to absorb moisture and moves slowly upward into the case where it picks up excess moisture from the food.

During warm sunny dry weather a batch of 12 to 15 lbs of thin evenly sliced fruit or vegetables can be dried in an eight hour drying day. Case drying protects color, appearance and nutritional values of food more than open sun drying.
- Solar Food Dehydrator (PDF)

The CTI 8 Chlorinator is an inexpensive, low-maintenance, non-electrical, appropriate technology apparatus. It is capable of delivering a controlled dosage of chlorine sufficient to inactivate most pathogens (disease-causing organisms) found in most rural potable water systems. The CTI 8 accomplishes disinfection by directing water flow over solid chlorine tablets in a simple configuration of PVC tubing. CTI 8 can be built in a matter of hours using basic hand tools.

A CTI 8 chlorinator can be built and installed for around $100.00 US per unit. For a typical community of 200-1,000 people, monthly operational costs including chlorine can be expected to be between $5 and $10 US, depending on various factors such as temperature, level of contamination and quantity of water flow.
- Water Chlorinator (PDF)
- Chlorinator Brochure (PDF 5MB)
- Evaluation Form (PDF)

Previously Promoted Technologies

Stores corn on the cob for drying and protection from pests.
Wooden poles of about six inches in diameter hold the floor up about four feet off the ground. Rat guards prevent rodents from climbing the support poles. Side slats allow breezes to flow through and dry the corn still on the cob. Roofs are of tin laminate or thatch. There is little direct cash cost since most of the materials are gathered locally, with the exception of the laminate.

Grain silos provide long-term storage for grains. The silos permit small growers to keep safely their crop for consumption by their families, and for occasional sales to small companies or neighbors in non-harvest periods of the year.

Most silos are the size of hot water heaters in many US households. They come in various sizes but most hold 18 quintals, or 1,800 pounds, of shelled kernels. They also require a chemical to prevent degradation of the crop in storage.

It is made of tin and was originally designed for corn that was shelled and ready for grinding and used primarily on the tortilla in Guatemala. In rural Guatemala tinsmiths are found in many communities.

Silos cost about $60. Field reports indicate that a participating family can pay back its investment in the silo in about five to six months through savings realized through conservation of crop.
- Grain Silo information (PDF)

Increases surface area of breadfruit or cassava to facilitate drying, fermenting, or cooking.

Permits separating ground nuts (pods) into size groupings, before shelling. If peanut pods are first sorted into size grouping, there is a better chance of obtaining whole nuts after shelling, which bring the premium prices at the market.

A peanut sheller will usually shell almost any size of pod presented to it, and are adjustable for pod size, but only in batches, so it is important that they are presorted.

The pdf attachment shows how to easily build a peanut pod sizer that permits separating pods into size groupings before shelling.
- Peanut Pod Sizer - how it works and how to build it (PDF)

CTI has developed designs for simple parabolic trough solar concentrators that work for a variety of food processing applications. The roasters are designed for use in areas where burning fuel is expensive or causes environmental damage. They use no fuel or electricity; the sun provides the necessary heat. The roasters work in clear weather during that part of the day when the sun is well above the horizon. These are not small solar cookers designed for a family meal. They have enough capacity for neighborhood or light commercial use. The roasters can achieve very high temperatures and provide enough power to roast peanuts, boil water, or bake bread. In the tradition of appropriate technology, craftsmen with limited skills and simple tools can build the ovens using mostly local materials. The designs not only meet the needs of food processing, but also provide opportunities for local entrepreneurs to build and sell the ovens.
- Solar Roaster Overiew
- Building a Solar Roaster
- Solar Roaster Performance
- Information on Parabolic Trough Solar Concentrators

Technologies Provided by Partner Organizations

http://www.fullbellyproject.org/products.php

http://www.solarovens.org