Sustainable mill ASAFMA
2019
Benin
Maize is one of the most consumed foods in Benin. It comes in a huge variety so that it can grow throughout the year during the different seasons. Each household takes its supply of dried maize to a place in the village where the maize can be ground into a paste in mills for a fee. This paste can then be stored for later. The current mills are powered by petrol engines or are connected directly to the grid. However, this has a whole range of disadvantages. For example, the diesel engines emit polluting exhaust fumes that are very unhealthy when inhaled and cause enormous noise pollution. The diesel is smuggled illegally from Nigeria where the price is often up to four times lower. The smuggled fuel is of very poor quality, causing the engines to break down more quickly, resulting in a larger mountain of waste. In 2011, Benin's Ministry of Economy revealed that almost 80% of the fuel consumed in Benin was smuggled into the country from Nigeria. The other windmills connected to the grid are often not reliable because the electricity can regularly fail for several hours or days. In addition, Beninese electricity production consists of 97.2% of fossil fuel combustion, which certainly does not make this a sustainable alternative.
Our project consists of developing a sustainable solar powered mill. The project is being carried out in collaboration with the local company ASAFMA in Parakou. The aim is to build a prototype with the technicians of ASAFMA, who will then be able to produce the mills themselves on a larger scale and market them. The 'green' mill must be profitable and cheap. These incentives are needed so that the Beninese mill owners switch to this sustainable alternative. There are fewer or no running costs such as fuel or electricity from the grid, which makes our mill very promising!