Student Makes Bike-Powered Water Pump for Developing Nations

by Sarah Parsons · 2010-06-01 13:00:00 UTC
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Irrigating crop fields may literally be as easy as riding a bike. Jon Leary, a student at the University of Sheffield, created a bicibomba movil, otherwise known as a bike-powered water pump. The nifty, eco-friendly device is currently being produced in Guatemala to help local farmers irrigate fields and more easily distribute water.

To develop the technology, Leary worked with Guatemalan NGO, Maya Pedal. The organization designs devices from discarded bikes sent from the U.S. and Canada. Other pedal-powered tech the organization's made include the bicilavodora (a bike-powered washing machine) and the bicimolino (a bike-powered corn grinder). The devices are more examples of a growing interest in creating low-cost, green tech to aid citizens in the developing world who may not have regular access to electricity.

The bicibomba movil works by plugging into a frame with a scrapped electric centrifugal water pump converted to a friction drive. As users pedal, the back tire rubs up against the water pump's motor. The machine works at an angle or on a flat surface, which is especially useful given that many Guatemalan farmers reside on steep inclines. At its peak, the device can pump 40 liters per minute (the equivalent of about three showers' worth of water), and at 26 meters, it can pump five liters per minute.

Leary first developed the bicibombo movil prototype last summer, and since then Maya Pedals made at least six more versions. Leary also recently created an open-source construction manual for the device, which is available on the Maya Pedals Web site. The manual was recently sent to Malawi, where it will be used to help start a rural irrigation project.

It's always encouraging to see developments like this, because low-cost, off-the-grid technologies are exactly the kinds of devices needed to ensure food security in the developing world. But I'd like to see more of these technologies used in industrialized nations, too. Obviously the bicibomba movil wouldn't be appropriate at a large-scale, industrial farm, but on a small-scale farm there's no reason a device like this couldn't work. In order to combat climate change and wean agriculture off non-renewable resources, now is the time to embrace off-the-grid technologies both at home and abroad.

Photo Credit: University of Sheffield

Sarah Parsons is Change.org's Sustainable Food Editor. Her work has appeared in Popular Science, OnEarth, Audubon and Plenty.

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