Ideaz

Campus Ideaz

Share your Ideas here. Be as descriptive as possible. Ask for feedback. If you find any interesting Idea, you can comment and encourage the person in taking it forward.

zerofoodwaste (1)

Farmer-Made CBG Cold Storage Boxes: Turning Waste into Freshness

Posted by Laasini dara se24umcs102 on September 18, 2025 at 2:52am
🌱 Farmer-Made CBG Cold Storage Boxes
 
Problem:
 
India loses 30–40% of perishable produce (milk, fruits, vegetables) due to lack of affordable cold storage. Small farmers cannot access large warehouses, and diesel-powered storage is costly and polluting. At the same time, farmers generate massive amounts of waste (cow dung, crop residue, fertilizer runoff), which is usually discarded or burned, adding to pollution.
 
 
Gap in Current Solutions:
 

•Cold storage facilities are centralized and far from villages.

•Existing units run on diesel or expensive electricity, raising costs.

•Farmers are dependent on external suppliers for fuel and storage.

•No integrated system exists where farmers can both produce their own energy and use it for storage.
 
 
Idea: (Farmer-Made CBG Cold Storage Boxes)
 
•Farmers use their own agri & fertilizer waste (cow dung, crop residue, press mud, etc.) to generate Compressed Biogas (CBG) through a small on-site biogas digester.
 
•The CBG is filled into portable cylinders that connect directly to mini cold storage boxes placed at farms, villages, or mandis.
 
•Boxes are portable, modular, and IoT-enabled, monitoring temperature, humidity, and gas levels via a phone app.
 
•By replacing diesel with farmer-made CBG, each box creates carbon credit income for the community.
 
•Future expansion: Solar + CBG hybrid systems for 24/7 renewable cold chains.
 
Who Benefits:
 
•Farmers: Turn waste into fuel, save crops, get higher market prices, and earn carbon credits.
 
•Villages & Mandis: Access to affordable, local cold storage powered by clean energy.
 
•Consumers: Fresher produce and more stable prices.
 
•Environment: Reduced stubble burning, dung waste, and diesel use → cleaner air and lower emissions.
 
Why It’s Unique:
 
•Empowers farmers to make their own clean fuel instead of depending on outside suppliers.
 
•Combines waste-to-energy with portable cold storage, creating a closed-loop rural economy.
 
•A simple, scalable innovation that tackles food wastage + clean energy + climate impact in one shot.
 
Technical Details:
•Mini biogas digester (2–5 m³) installed at farm or village cluster level.
 
•Portable CBG cylinders connect directly to cold boxes.
 
•Cold box size: modular 200–500 liters (milk cans, fruit crates).
 
•IoT sensors for cooling + gas usage tracking.
 
•Carbon credit platform integration for verified CO₂ savings.
 
Read more…