Biogas-Powered Evaporative Cooling for Uganda’s Dairy Industry

Overview

Innovator	University of Georgia Research Foundation (UGARF)
Project	Biogas-Powered Evaporative Cooling for the Dairy Industry
Collaborators	Smallholder Fortunes (Uganda)
Location Applied	Uganda

Throughout sub-Saharan Africa, the dairy industry suffers from lack of proper refrigeration options. Large dairies cannot export milk to neighboring markets due to international standards requiring milk be cooled within four hours of production. Small farmers may lose 20-50% of milk to spoilage due to lack of cold-chain facilities. There is limited access to electricity for refrigeration units, and kerosene and solar-powered options have proved too expensive and difficult to operate.

Clean Energy Solution

University of Georgia Research Foundation (UGARF) has developed a refrigeration unit powered on biogas - which is extracted from cow manure. The unit regenerates zeolite plates, which retain their capacity to capture water vapor from the evaporative milk chilling process. Partnered with Smallholder Fortunes, UGARF is refining the design of the refrigeration unit, and testing it with farmers in Uganda. UGARF will work with local manufacturers to secure financing and bring production of the units to commercial scale.

Impact

A milk transport © UGARF

This project has numerous social, economic, and environmental benefits. Refrigeration units will benefit dairy farmers by decreasing milk spoilage and increasing production and profits. Captured biogas can be used for lighting and cooking - saving income that would otherwise be spent on kerosene, and replacing the use of wood and charcoal for cooking. Also, by extracting biogas from cow manure, greenhouse gas emissions from fermenting cow manure is mitigated.

Farmer © UGARF

Organization

The University of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc. (UGARF) is a nonprofit entity housed within the University of Georgia (UGA) in the United States that enhances UGA’s excellence as a research and higher education institution. Smallholder Fortunes is a small-scale dairy farm located in Wakiso District, Uganda.

Progress Update

UGARF deployed the first two units with two female dairy farmers last March. Income for both these farmers has increased as a result of EvaKuula adoption. When asked about impact, one of the farmers said “I have been sending my granddaughter to sell our evening milk, door-to-door, after she comes back from school. Most of the time she would manage to sell one to two liters per day, out of the 10 or so liters we harvest in the evening. We consume some of the unsold milk and the rest given freely to the neighbors and/or workers on the farm. Sometimes all the milk just gets spoilt when my granddaughter gets home late and I can’t send her out in the dark. Where has this technology been all these years!!!?” Seven contracts are in hand to supply EvaKuula units in October 2016. UGARF has participated in a trade show in Kampala and a training of over 70 farmers. Based on demand generated by these activities, UGARF anticipates deploying approximately 10 units per month.

Further Information

• Powering Agriculture Portal on energypedia
  
• Powering Agriculture Homepage, Winners/ Innovators
  
• Powering Agriculture: An Energy Grand Challenge for Development
  
• Powering Agriculture Newsletters
  
• University of Georgia Research Foundation (UGARF) Homepage
• Smallholder Fortunes Homepage
  
• Uganda Energy Situation
  
• Renewable Energy-powered Milk Cooler for Smallholder Dairy Farmers