Pot-in-pot refrigerator

The pot-in-pot refrigerator, additionally accepted as a Zeer الزير in Arabic, is a algidity accessory which keeps aliment air-conditioned after electricity by application evaporative cooling. A absorptive alien ceramics pot, lined with wet sand, contains an close pot (which can be anesthetized to anticipate assimilation by the liquid) aural which the aliment is placed. The dehydration of the alien aqueous draws calefaction from the close pot.

Although the assumption abaft the accessory has been accepted for centuries, one avant-garde accessory was developed by academician Mohammed Bah Abba for use in avant-garde Nigeria and broadcast by his company, Mobah Rural Horizons

Development and distribution

Mohammed Bah Abba developed his zeer based on his grandmother's adeptness of acceptable pottery. Wanting to use acceptable methods to advice the rural poor of arctic Nigeria,9 he hit aloft the abstraction of refrigerating aliment by agreement it in a pot, again careful the pot with some actual independent in a beyond pot. It took him about two years to advance and analysis the idea, and during this time he experimented with abounding altered types of careful material, including cream from an old mattress. In the end, he begin that wet river beach was the best actual for his cooler. He anesthetized his account assimilate the Intermediate Technology Development Group, who in about-face formed with the University of Al Fashir to run abstracts on the zeer to admeasurement its adeptness to advance food's comestible agreeable and extend its shelf life.10 After tests were concluded, Bah Abba began to administer zeers.7 He gave abroad the aboriginal 5,000 pots for free, demography the amount from his lecturer's salary. He additionally approved several methods to advance the pots for abundantly benighted villages, and eventually begin that it was best able to almanac a comedy in which the zeer featured, at which point a publicity aggregation took the video about the villages and projected it assimilate the walls of houses in the black back workers were advancing home from the fields. In this way ample numbers of bodies were apparent to the zeer back they angry up for the chargeless entertainment

Construction

A zeer is complete by agreement a adobe pot aural a beyond adobe pot with wet beach in amid the pots and a wet bolt on top.9

The accessory cools as the baptize evaporates, acceptance aliment stored in the close pot to be kept beginning for abundant best in a hot, dry climate. It charge be placed in a dry, aerial amplitude for the baptize to clear finer appear the outside. Evaporative coolers tend to accomplish ailing or not at all in climates with aerial ambient humidity, back the baptize is not able to clear able-bodied beneath these conditions.

If there is an closed break band amid the aliment and the absorptive pots, undrinkable baptize such as seawater can be acclimated to drive the cooling process, after communicable the food. This is advantageous in barren locations abreast the ocean area cooler baptize is a bound commodity, and can be able by application a pot that is anesthetized on the close bank area the aliment is stored.citation needed

Extended operation is accessible if the pots are able to draw baptize from a accumulator container, such as an astern closed jar, or if the pots are placed in a bank basin of water

Impact

Pot-in-pot algidity has had assorted absolute impacts on the citizenry that uses them above the simple adeptness to accumulate aliment beginning for best periods of time and abbreviating instances of food-related disease.9

Added profits from aliment sales: As there is no blitz to advertise aliment to abstain spoilage, farmers are able to advertise their aftermath on appeal and can command college prices.

Added opportunities for women: Women can advertise aliment anon from their homes, abbreviating their assurance on their husbands as sole providers. Also, because girls commonly booty aliment to bazaar to sell, and because aliment in the zeer stays beginning continued abundant that they can go to bazaar already a anniversary rather than already a day, there is added time for them to appear school.

Rural application opportunities: Farmers are able to abutment themselves with their added profits at market, slowing the move into cities. Also, the conception of the pots themselves generates job opportunities.

Added diet array because aliment is accessible for best into the year.

A zeer costs about 150 naira (approx. US$1.00 in 2011) to make, and they advertise for 180-200 naira (US$1.20 to US$1.30 in 2011). Bah Abba sells about 30,000 per year