A lecturer at the University of Ilorin, Kamoldeen Ajijolakewu, has invented a low-temperature refrigerator that works at -45 degree Celsius. While the conventional ones work between the range of -10 degree Celsius and -20 degree Celsius.
This was stated in a bulletin published by the university.
The refrigerator, which is more powerful than the conventional one has the capacity to freeze water or any liquid kept in it within three minutes. The refrigerator is one of the products presented for exhibition by the university at the on-going 7th Trade Fair, holding at the Baseball Field, Adewole area, Ilorin, Kwara state.
Mr Ajijolakewu lectures at the Department of Microbiology in the University’s Faculty of Life Sciences.
The refrigerator is a product of a research by Mr Ajijolakewu in conjunction with Musbau Babatunde, also of the Department of Microbiology, University of Ilorin.
Mr Ajijolakewu said that research is ongoing on the need to further reduce the refrigerator’s effective temperature, saying that the target is to come up with a refrigerator that works at -79oC or -80oC.
Giving a synopsis of his research effort, Mr Ajijolakewu pointed out that “this locally designed low-temperature refrigerator will be very useful in laboratories, restaurants and in the business of preservation of items or organisms.
According to him, research in biomedical and life sciences is imperfect without appropriate preservative systems.
“Lyophilised industrial or medically important organisms, cell lines and plant and animal cell tissue cultures require a negative-range low-temperature refrigeration system to maintain them for a longer time,” he said.
“From this system, they can be accessed and rejuvenated for subsequent use in the laboratory while maintaining all their characteristics.”
The researcher urged the university community and allied agencies to assist researchers in achieving their goals.
