Mud Refrigerator

2000/12/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Patenteak/Asmakizunak

Mohammed Bah Abba, a Nigerian professor, has invented a simple and cheap fridge that does not need external energy sources. The refrigerator is made up of two clay containers fitted together; the gap between the two is filled with wet sand and the lid is also wet. Outdoor hot air attracts moisture causing an internal heat flow to the outside. While the cover and sand are kept moist, the inside of the small container is kept cold and stored food is not lost. For example, eggplants stored in the container last 3 to 27 days and tomatoes and peppers more than three weeks. Thanks to the invention of Professor Abba, the quality of life in the villages of the area has improved: farmers can sell according to supply/demand and girls do not have to go to the market every day. According to Professor Abba, in the villages where the fridge is used there are more girls than before in schools. For his invention he has been awarded the $75,000 Rolex (15 million pesetas, £600,000) and will serve to extend the fridge to northern Nigeria.