Proposal
- Social challenge:
The amount of crop by-products produced nationwide in Vietnam is estimated to be over 95 million tons annually, with rice making up the majority (more than 50%), the rest are other types such as sugarcane, cassava, corn, coffee, soybeans, etc. However, over 80% of crop by-products are discarded or burnt in the fields. This improper disposal not only leads to local environmental challenges such as traffic congestion and haze but also contributes to air pollution by emitting harmful substances like fine particulate matter, carbon monoxide (CO), and nitrogen oxides (NOx) into the atmosphere, posing significant health risks to the population. In the meantime, thousands of small and medium-sized manufacturers in the agricultural dried product sector heavily rely on fossil fuels such as coal and electricity for their operations, releasing harmful emissions into the atmosphere that contaminate the air and land. Moreover, their output products are susceptible to emissions from the production line, reducing quality and affecting consumer health.
- Solution idea:
Energy Conversion provides equipment to green the agricultural product drying process, enabling local producers to access solar and biomass resources derived from plentiful agricultural waste to create more environmentally friendly products. In addition, Energy Conversion’s agricultural product dryer has an exhaust gas filtering feature, improving product quality. As a result, we provided an excellent machine that not only helps increase farmers’ incomes, lower manufacturing costs, and enhance consumer health but also reduces air pollution and minimizes the use of fossil fuels.
- Product process:
Energy Conversion buys straw from farmers. After harvesting, the straw is dried and put into a shredder, then through a press to produce compacted pellets. These pellets are then either stored or utilized.
The biomass pellets are placed into a hopper and fed down into a combustion chamber. When the bait is lit, the fan starts, and air from below moves upward to dry and ignite the pellets. The hot air generated flows out through an external tube, providing heat energy for drying the products. Meanwhile, the emissions are filtered to remove harmful substances before being released into the environment. Once the pellets are fully burned, they are removed and used as fertilizer for crops.
- UN goals:
Goal 3: Good health and well-being: Energy Conversion provides machines equipped with exhaust gas filtration systems, playing a crucial role in producing healthy and fresh food for the community while protecting the health of the local population.
Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy: Energy Conversion promotes the use of solar energy and biomass resources from agricultural waste in production, helping to increase access to affordable, sustainable and modern energy for all.
Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth: Energy Conversion helps increase farmers’ incomes by buying agricultural waste. Energy Conversion’s agricultural dryers produce higher quality products, increasing consumer demand, boosting revenue, and creating sustainable employment opportunities for farmers.
Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production: Energy Conversion promotes responsible consumption by providing products that have a positive impact on society and the environment, thus encouraging sustainable agricultural production and raising awareness of environmentally friendly production materials.
Goal 13: Climate action: Using solar energy and biomass materials from agricultural waste to replace coal will help protect forest resources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and thus be a powerful driving force to fight climate change.
Goal 15: Life on land: Energy Conversion promotes the use of biomass materials to support sustainable forest management and reverse soil degradation, as well as to protect biodiversity.