Seed Storage Anthony Re, Kevin Zeng
Objectives Statement Families in Honduras do not have seeds for their own gardens No way to store seeds for long durations Objective: Create an effective storage unit for long-term seed storage and create a method of managing humidity
Storage Requirements Low Temperature and Humidity General relationship: F° + Relative Humidity <=100 Goal: below 40 F and 60% RH
Idea Development Started out with many ideas Vacuum sealed jars Refrigeration Silica gels Oxygen absorbing packets 10 foot deep crawlspace for storage More expensive ideas
DIY Dehumidifieraterials 2 tier system Top layer absorbs water from air using dissicant (rock salt, charcoal) Bottom layer collects water and should be dumped regularly
Final Design Refrigerator Available Use in conjunction with Jar/Duct Tape and DIY Dehumidifier DIY dehumidifier trays.
Issues Encountered 1 week into the project, Larry, our contact switched us to a different refrigerator that was smaller Original Refrigerator Dimensions Freezer compartment-H-14", W-25", D-14" Refrigerator compartment H-42", W-26", D-20" New Refrigerator Dimensions Freezer compartment-H-12", W-13", D-13" Refrigerator compartment-H-30", W-13", D-13“ (Desiccator Barely fit 12.5”x12.5”) It did not work as efficiently
Test 1 : Humidity and Temp. Original Refrigerator was perfect New Refrigerator had much higher humidity and temperature o Needed to request for original refrigerator DayTemperature (°F)Humidity (%)Total Fridge DayTemperature (°F)Humidity (%)Humidity in Jar (%)Total FridgeTotal Jar Original Refrigerator New Refrigerator
Test 2 : Power Usage Used outlet power meter Power factor - Power/VA (apparent power) o 0.63 is normal for appliances ~60 USD/Yr o A bit expensive o Based on 0.25 USD/kWH VoltagePower FactorVAPower (W)USD/DayUSD/WkUSD/MoUSD/Yr
Outcome/Conclusion Ask to use original refrigerator o Accepted so there should be no problem in seed storage Successful project o Effective technology Cooling + desiccation in one device Would have been much more difficult for a Honduran family o No refrigerator o No power (even though it is very cheap)
Materials/Costs Would be much more costly if refrigerator weren’t available Upkeep cost ($60 USD/Yr.) is a lot o Average refrigerator is 400W o 150 W solar panel is $150, need 4 o Most efficient is still to buy electricity MaterialObtained InCost (USD) Plastic Trays (2) US20 CharcoalHondurasprovided RefrigeratorHondurasprovided JarsHondurasprovided Duct TapeHondurasprovided Hygrometer8 TotalUS28
Recommendations 1. Power the refrigerator using solar or alternative energy source 2. Use smaller refrigerator if space is too large 3. Test to make sure seeds will survive a whole year
Acknowledgements Roger Dzwonczyk (daily support) Miriam Cater (daily support) Larry Overholt (created opportunity for this project, guidance and foreign liaison) Angie Overholt (created opportunity for this project, guidance and foreign liaison) Dr. John Merrill (created opportunity for this project)
Questions?