Village Technologies

               for Remote Areas

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          ** (See the latest hand-powered water sterilization systems by scrolling
             down to "Experiments in Water Sterilization"  -- 4 ozone generators.)

    This site is about combating hunger in developing areas

        Famine occurs mainly by failure of small, one hectare farms.

       Portable,  hand-powered water sterilizers using       ozone :

These hand-crank ozone generators need a manufacturer :                  

              Experiments to Fight Hunger

        The following contains a number of  untried experiments that may be of

           use in the struggle to combat world hunger.  The statistics on the casualties

           caused by starvation and malnutrition are overwhelming. Thirty thousand

           children die each day from lack of adequate food and water, both directly

           and from disease that results from a weakened condition.  One out of

           five children in the developing world  die of water-borne disease before

           the age of five.  More innovation, creative enterprise and effort are

           needed to end this miserable state of affairs. Everyone has their own

           ideas and talents to bring to bear.  The following is a collection of ideas

           that may or may not work,  but they seem to offer promise  and could

           be very interesting experiments for those inclined to explore.

 The Experiments are Listed in Two Categories:

         [These categories of course are not mutually exclusive
           good water is needed for drinking as well as for farming
           and other forms of food production such as for aqua-
           culture, hydroponics and the vat culture of single cell
           protein.]

            Experiments to provide more and better water are in the first list.

            Experiments to increase food production are in  the second list.
 
 

        To view a detailed description of each experiment
             click on the small star that  precedes the item on the list.

             The star looks like this ---> *     Then after reading the description
                 use " go"  on the toolbar and then
                 "back" to get back to this list.

  *new  A percussion water well drill based on a cart and a capstan-like rope release

  *new  A motor driven rotary capstan borehole drill

  *   A very simple hand powered pump capable of pumping water from deep
        wells.
  *   A modified version of the simple pump made more efficient by conserving
       conserving pulse energy

  *   A resonating sound powered, hand operated pump

  *  A resonating hand powered, sound operated pump with a primer

  *   The most simple pump for pumping water from depth

  *  A hand powered, rotating, sound powered pump

  *   A solar powered, reciprocating pump employing Shape Memory Wires

  *   A detailed view of the SME wire solid engine for water pumps

  *  An improved SME wire engine compensating for small displacement of
        SME wires

  *   A  short stroke reciprocating water pump to make the Shape Memory
         Metal Wire Engine an effective solar powered water pump engine

  *   A solar powered, reciprocating pump engine employing Shape Memory Metal
          springs

  *    A solar thermal reciprocating engine driving a reciprocating water pump

   *   A double acting, reciprocating, solar-thermal water pump engine

   *   A water pump engine that employs a heat sensitive belt turbine

   *  Another solar powered turbine engine employing a belt of heat sensitive
       Shape Memory Polymers or elastocaloric rubber

   *  A solar turbine engine for pumping water, powered by a solar pond, the
         turbine engine being in the form of a rubber belt supported on rollers

   *  Another solar powered turbine engine also based on opposing tensions but
       using positive displacement gas engines.

   *   An automatic boiler feed for providing pressurized vapor to drive
         pneumatic motors with any heat energy

  *   A rotating, sound powered pump to provide steady pumping action

  *   A rotary and resonating sound powered pump

  *   An air engine based on the Stirling engine powered by a solar concentrating
       trough and powering a water pump

  *   An automatic solar powered water pump using the Stirling engine principle
     but having a rotary displacer

  *   A Rankin Cycle jet pump for pumping water from a well using solar power

  *  A Rankin Cycle reciprocating solar powered water pump employing a solar
      concentrator for an explanation clich here

  *  A Fast Acting Stirling Diaphragm Engine for Driving a Sonic Water Pump

  *  Formula for Determining the Dimensions of the above Stirling Sonic Pump

  *  Some Stirling engine powered sonic water pumps powered by biogas

  *  Heat Powered (solar or biogas) Stirling Cycle Air Compressor for Driving

     Water Pumps : An Air Lift Pump   or Air Displacement Pump

  * A Stirling Cycle Water Pump  Using a Non-imaging Solar Concentrator

  *  Calculating the Size and Energy of the Cylinders for the above Stirling Pump

 *  A very speculative but extremely promising solar powered, thermo-

          acoustic water pump

  *   A Walking-Beam Water Pump powered by a Solar Concentrator and a Stirling
         Engine click here to see second step in the cycle  , here to see third step , 
 forth step click here
 

          Some Experiments in Water Sterilization

 Latest addition (2)  Variable capacitance high voltage generator applied to ozone
       production
 Latest addition (3) A push-pull charge separation machine for high voltage ozone
      generation
 Latest ozone generator Another variable capacitor as an energy converter to
      convert handpower to high voltage and ozone

 Latest portable ozone  generator based on a double induction mechanism

   *new  A high voltage, hand-powered electric discharge ozone generator for
       sterilizing the family water supply in remote areas

  *new  A high voltage, triboelectric hand-powered ozone generator for
         sterilizing drinking water in remote areas

  *new   A high voltage variable capacitance electric generator for ozone production

  *   An electric water sterilizer that employs electrolysis to produce acid shock in
      bacteria by reversing electrode polarity

  *   An electric water sterilizer that uses metal tubes and a plastic pipe with a photo
     voltaic panel

  *  An electrolytic sterilizer for water  that destroys germs by acid shock

  *__new   A double-acting water sterilizer that uses both acid shock and free radicals

  *  A water sterilizer employing electrolytic ozone to kill germs

  *   A detailed description of the above low voltage sterilizer

  *  References to electrolytic ozone ( the voltage is right for a photovoltaic panel)

  *  A hand powered, inexpensive ozone generator to kill water-borne germs

  *  Simple  clarifier  for converting muddy, turbid water into clear water

 *Revised  Improved clarifier using oxidizers generated electrolytically

          Some scientific article  references about water cleaners

Some Experiments to Increase Food Production
 

   *  A small electric nitrogen fertilizer plant for a village or farm

   *  A regenerative system for fixing nitrogen  in the village or on the farm

  *   An experiment to produce slow release nitrogen fertilizer from air and

       farm  waste

 *  A very energy efficient  Russian nitrogen  fixation reactor for the small

       farm that uses less energy per kilogram than a $ 100,000,000 ammonia

       plant

  *  Making  slow-release nitrogen fertilizer with a Russian Vortex Reactor

       by reacting the nitrogen oxide gases of that reactor with waste cellulose

 scientific paper Scientific paper on the oxidizing power of  gamma alumina

       and the  implications for village level fixation of nitrogen

   *   The  Simple Steps Required to Produce Nitric Oxide on Alumina gel

   *  A way of using biogas or waste combustion to oxidize nitrogen and

          produce slow-release nitrogen fertilizer

   *  A way of using solar heat energy to produce fixed nitrogen oxides and

        cellulose nitrate fertilizer from air

   * Electric pH control of  agriculture fields

   * Electrolytic pH control and sterilization of hydroponic tanks

   * An experiment to determine the efficiency of  Electrolytic pH control

   * A solar food dryer that preserves vitamins by removing sunlight

   * A passive solar powered water tank heater for aquaculture, vat culture

       of single cell protein and for heating biogas generators

   * Converting cellulose to sugar  for feeding food yeast and generating

       protein in large quantities rapidly

   * A paper on the value of converting cellulose to sugar for growing Single

       Cell  Protein and for producing fuel alcohol

   * A simple electrolytic cell that produces acid from cellulose waste and then

    hydrolyzes cellulose into sugar. - for growing food yeast and white  algae

   * Producing food yeast in a biogas digester by using farm waste. The

        biogas generater is converted simply to make food yeast instead of gas.

        To see how and why this conversion of waste to food should work

  * Producing food yeast with additional fixed nitrogen in order to

        provide more protein in larger yields of yeast

  *  Exploring the Rhizosphere to find the secrets that may increase

        food yield of plants and trees (two experiments)

  *  Applying the secrets of the Rhizosphere to enhance nitrogen

        fertilizer production from a biogas digester

  *  Utilizing  biogas to remove oxygen from air and thereby provide

          molecular nitrogen for Klebsiella for fixation into nitrogen rich

           fertilizer or high protein yeast

   *  Another way of using biogas (methane) for removing oxygen from

           the nitrogen of air in order to give oxygen free nitrogen to nitrogen

           fixing bacteria to greatly increase their yields of ammonia

 Using a hand pump  with biogas to remove CO2 -- the math

  *  Using a hand powered pump and a catalyst to remove CO2 in

         order to provide nitrogen to Klebsiella bacteria for fixing N2

   *   An ammonia synthesis system based on a very efficient electric

          plasma combined with a biogas generator for reducing nitric oxide

   *   Another  village ammonia plant based on the extremely efficient

         Russian pulsed plasma

   *   Experiment to see if fast growing yeast or algae or mushroom

        mycelia may be quickly turned into high-protein, delicious yuba

   *   Growing  nutritious algae for food --  the general idea

          *   Some practical photobioreactors ---  and how they work

          *   References to Scientific articles about growing algae with

                          Photobioreactors

          *   Quotations that indicate growing food algae is practical

           *   The special case of Spirulina Algae as a very good human food

   *  Systems and Culture Media for Large Scale Growing of Spirulina

     *    A Specific Culture Medium for Growing Spirulina (found on the

           Perdue Univ. Web Site)

   *  Experiment to make a variety of  trees more beneficial to mankind

            in their live state and thereby curtail their destruction

            *   A False Rhizosphere attached to a tree ; how it works and how

                    it is constructed

            *   An  Hydroponic Rhizosphere used for generating sugars

      * An ammonia generator from 1909 that used simple apparatus and

       produced fixed nitrogen from coal gas and air now being converted

       to biogas in place of coal gas

 *About the catalysts and catalytic reactions involved in a biogas

                  to ammonia reactor

            *A list of references to scientific articles on combustion catalysts

            It is known that low temperature combustion produces NO

                and that some low temperature catalysts react with nitrogen.

    click to email    I have patents on some of these ideas , but am willing to relinquish
     rights to those who are in need  or would use the concepts to improve nutrition
     of  folks in their area. If you would use one of these ideas for purely   com-
     mercial  purpose, I would require some type of agreement. --  Lou O'Hare
     P.S. My telephone number is:  1-970-731-5632