By Shelby Jefcoat
Researchers in the Feed the Future Post Harvest Handling and Food Processing Lab have come up with a solar-powered crop dryer that they hope to commercialize soon. 
Project leaders, Klein Lleleji, an associate professor in Purdue University’s Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, and his wife, Purdue alum Reiko Lleleji believe the device will work for farmers in developing countries, as well as small organic producers in the United States.
A practical solar dryer could help curtail post-harvest losses and improve quality and quantity of crops. Feed the Future’s Peanut and Mycotoxin Innovation Lab (PMIL) also has produced a solar dryer through the work of Ghanaian graduate student Maxwell Lamptey, who has deployed the device near Tamale to test how it is received.
“In many developing countries, like (in) Sub-Saharan Africa and South East Asia, farmers can’t afford or don’t have access to drying equipment; thus their crops spoil and become unusable,” Klein Lleleji said. Lleleji also emphasized the missed opportunities when farmers only can “sell their fresh crops in a highly glutted market.”
The dryer could help prevent the development of mold that leads to aflatoxin, a natural byproduct of mold flourishes in improperly dried crops and can lead to child stunting and cancer.
“In drying we want to achieve three things: high temperatures, high air-flow and low humidity,” Lleleji said. “The dryer has eight fans placed at the bottom of the dryer that pull heat down through thermal collectors at the top directing airflow through stacked drying trays in the drying chamber.”
The device also protects from insects and other animals with vinyl curtains around the drying chamber and also includes a control console that allows for different drying modes and temperature settings.
Klein and Reiko Lleleji plan to commercialize the product through their startup company JUA Technologies International LLC. The company is currently testing the innovation with several different crops in West Lafayette, Indiana; Kenya; and Senegal.
Learn more about the project, check out Purdue’s news release.