Purdue College agricultural and organic engineer Klein Ileleji will use funding for 4 R&D tasks
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – JUA Applied sciences Worldwide, an agricultural expertise startup that manufactures a solar-powered crop dehydrator, has acquired a two-year, $600,000 Part II Small Enterprise Innovation Analysis (SBIR) grant from the US Division of Agriculture to additional develop it. expertise.
The aim of the Part II mission, titled Good Multipurpose Photo voltaic Dehydration Machine for Worth Addition to Specialty Crops, is the profitable proof of idea to product-design enhancements and design for the manufacture of JUA Applied sciences’ multipurpose photo voltaic dryer, known as and Dehymeleon™.
Klein Ileleji is the co-founder and CEO/chief expertise officer of JUA Applied sciences. He’s additionally a professor of agricultural and organic engineering and a fellow of environmental and ecological engineering at Purdue College. In accordance with him, crop dehydration is among the finest methods to protect vitamins and lengthen the shelf lifetime of meals, however it has its drawbacks.
“It’s an energy-intensive course of with excessive working prices as a result of meals dehydrators are normally powered by gasoline, electrical energy or gasoline oil,” mentioned Ileleji. “Excessive working prices restrict the flexibility of small and midsize growers and processors within the US to provide dehydrated meals. Small growers and processors are important to the native meals and agriculture trade in city areas, which is presently a $1 billion and rising trade within the US
“In creating tropical international locations, the place postharvest losses of nutrient-rich horticultural merchandise will be as excessive as 50%, dehydrating meals cleanly utilizing plentiful photo voltaic vitality out there in these areas won’t solely assist help dietary safety however may even give growers the chance to extend their revenue from value-added processing.”
Ileleji mentioned dehydration of fruit and veggies, herbs and spices, and medicinal vegetation nonetheless takes place utilizing the outdated, open, strategies of solar drying on mats or trays that spoil the vitamins and cut back meals high quality.
“Whereas there are lots of photo voltaic dryer designs out there within the literature and on-line, none of them have been commercialized or utilized in massive portions,” mentioned Ileleji.
Ileleji mentioned JUA Applied sciences’ proposed high-efficiency, sensible, multipurpose photo voltaic dehydrator matches the priorities of the USDA and the Nationwide Institute of Meals and Agriculture in 4 methods.
“It improves the processing strategies of particular crops to enhance the standard and dietary worth and supply wholesome meals choices,” mentioned Ileleji. “This can allow small and midsize growers so as to add worth to their crops and enhance their farm revenue. It gives each growers with an inexpensive expertise powered by renewable vitality, which conserves vitality and reduces working prices. It additionally gives an energy-efficient expertise to advertise using renewable vitality and help environmental sustainability.
The grant will cowl 4 analysis and growth aims:
- Modeling and simulation to optimize photo voltaic dehydrator efficiency.
- Figuring out the conduct and efficiency of a desiccant and heat-recovery system below completely different drying hundreds.
- Discipline efficiency dedication and validation modeling effort for fruits, greens, spices and herbs in Indiana and California.
- Beta prototyping the product for manufacturing.
Ileleji mentioned the targets will likely be met by JUA Applied sciences and contract manufacturing and product engineering design companies.
In 2019 JUA Applied sciences acquired a $100,000 SBIR Part I grant from the USDA and a $50,000 match from Elevate Ventures. In 2022 the US Small Enterprise Administration acknowledged Ileleji as Indiana and the Nice Lakes Regional Exporter of the 12 months. for its transportable photo voltaic dehydrator, Dehytray™.
“Each Dehytray and Dehymeleon applied sciences come from the US Company for Worldwide Growth (USAID)-supported effort known as Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Meals Processing and Publish-Harvest Dealing with,” mentioned Ileleji. “This can be a multi-institutional effort led by Purdue College to cut back postharvest losses, promote financial progress, enhance diet and enhance meals safety in Feed the Future goal international locations.
Ileleji disclosed his crop drying innovation to the Purdue Analysis Basis Workplace of Expertise Commercialization, which licensed it to JUA Applied sciences. The corporate is a shopper of the Purdue Foundry, an entrepreneurship and commercialization hub whose professionals assist Purdue innovators create startups. Each are managed by the Purdue Analysis Basis.
About JUA Applied sciences Worldwide
JUA Applied sciences Worldwide (JTI) is a mission-oriented firm that develops applied sciences to effectively harness photo voltaic vitality to energy agrifood methods. JTI was based in 2016 in West Lafayette, Indiana, the place it’s headquartered, and is affiliated with the Purdue Foundry. JTI develops and manufactures vitality environment friendly multipurpose photo voltaic meals dehydrators designed for households, small and midsize growers and processors. Its transportable photo voltaic dehydrator, DehytrayTM, received two prestigious awards in 2019 – the American Society of Agricultural and Organic Engineering AE50 Innovation Award and choice as a finalist within the meals class of the Quick Firm 2019 World Altering Concepts. Dehytray™ is bought in over 28 states in the US and over 10 international locations. For details about the corporate, please go to www.juatechnology.com.
Concerning the Purdue Analysis Basis
The Purdue Analysis Basis is a nonprofit company ruled by 16 people who serve on a board of administrators. The PRF Board of Administrators meets quarterly to handle the enterprise and affairs of the company, to prescribe and implement insurance policies, and to information the company in attaining its targets.
The Purdue Analysis Basis helps Purdue College’s land grant mission by serving to the college enhance the world via its applied sciences and graduates. Based in 1930, PRF is a personal, nonprofit basis. The inspiration helps patent and commercialize Purdue applied sciences; creates areas to encourage innovation, invention, funding, commercialization and entrepreneurship; and makes fairness out there to college students to fund their training at Purdue. For extra data on licensing a Purdue innovation, contact the Workplace of Expertise Commercialization at otcip@prf.org. For extra details about participation and funding alternatives in startups primarily based on a Purdue innovation, contact the Purdue Foundry at foundry@prf.org.
Author/Media Contact: Steve Martin, sgmartin@prf.org
Supply: Klein Ileleji, ileleji@purdue.edu
