Support for the Dearman Engine liquid air technology as a solution to the challenges of postharvest food losses and air pollution gained prominence recently, following events in both the UK and India.
This began with a call for urgent attention to cold chain development, discussed at the two-day Clean and Cool Summit on June 30 and July 1 in London, organised by the Liquid Air Energy Network (LAEN) and hosted by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). Alongside the Summit, the IMechE’s Head of Energy and Environment, Dr. Tim Fox, launched the Institution’s latest report, A Tank of Cold: Cleantech Leapfrog to a More Food Secure World.
The report explains how, in developing countries like India, up to 50% of perishable food is lost before ever reaching a plate because cold chains are rudimentary or non-existent. Dr. Fox, the lead author, stated, “One in eight people on the planet goes to bed hungry every night. That shocking fact is made worse when you consider that a third to a half of the food produced globally is never eaten.”
Where cold chains are developing – in megacities such as Beijing and Delhi – the delivery component is powered by highly polluting diesel transport refrigeration units (TRUs), which contribute to chronic and toxic smog. Outdoor pollution has caused 600,000 premature deaths in India in a single year.
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