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Grant Spurs Large Version Solar Dehydrator
After completing a project with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and subsequently developing the Dehytray, a solar-powered drying solution for corn, Klein Ileleji set his sights on fruits and vegetables as losses of nutrient-rich produce can be upward of 50 percent. Crop dehydration is one of the best ways to preserve these nutrients and extend food’s shelf life.
“One of the bottlenecks of these technologies in these parts of the world is a lack of effort in developing a product that works for the small grower,” says Ileleji, CEO and Chief Technology Officer at JUA Technologies International and Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at Purdue University. “Many have attempted to grow these technologies but stop at larger users. It’s a difficult process to create and sell something for small growers in the developing world who don’t have the means that our growers do.”
Ileleji and JUA Technologies International, an agricultural technology startup, recently received a $600,000 Phase II Small Business Innovation Research Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The goal is to design and manufacture a larger multi-purpose solar dryer called the Dehymeleon.
Ileleji used his company to base the designs for the larger Dehymeleon on the Dehytray they had created earlier.
As the Dehymeleon is still under development and in the patenting process, he can’t speak to specifics in size but says it’s a larger multi-drawer cabinet-type dryer. The unit will use 100 percent solar energy for drying to heat the chamber and vacuum out the air.
They’re hoping to market the Dehymeleon, targeted at small fruit and vegetable growers in the U.S. and other countries, during the last quarter of 2025. It’ll be marketed under JUA Technologies International, and plans are to sell it through hardware and Tractor Supply stores to establish a lower price set point.
Ileleji can’t speculate on a cost per unit but desires to make it financially accessible for smaller growers.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, JUA Technologies International, 1281 Win Hentschel Blvd., West Lafayette, Ind. 47906 (ph 765-204-5533; klein.ileleji@juatechnology.com; www.juatechnology.com).


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2024 - Volume #48, Issue #3