Solutions

Solution for consolidation of grain stores  and preserve eggs In the extreme poverty area, the houses and agricultural landfills are made of materials existing in nature, respectively clay, as shown in the photographs. The clay has good mechanical strength, but it is not rain-resistant. The clay it gets wet very easily and then loses its mechanical characteristics. Houses and grain stores must be permanently repaired and this consumes much of the time. Agricultural products are exposed to degradation. Cement is a good material to protect the exterior of the houses, but it is expensive and inaccessible to the poor peoples Besides the expensive cement, there is also a lime, and the bill of payment rises. There is a cheap solution that can be applied directly to the exterior surfaces of houses and grain stores that are exposed to rainwater. Liquid Sodium Silicate is a solution that can be applied with a brush on the surface of clay houses and grain deposits and the outer layer will become waterproof and with high mechanical strength.

Sodium silicate may be delivered in solution as in Fig. 1

 The very important element is that the new surface clay becomes waterproof.

 The chemical reaction between liquid sodium silicate and carbon dioxide is irreversible and the clay can no longer be moistened with water.

Second use of sodium silicate in poor countries

World War I poster suggesting the use of waterglass to preserve eggs (lower right).

Waterglass has been used as an egg preservative with large success, primarily when refrigeration is not available. Fresh-laid eggs are immersed in a solution of sodium silicate (waterglass). If they are then stored in appropriate environment, the majority of bacteria which would otherwise cause them to spoil are kept out and their moisture is kept in. According to the cited source, treated eggs can be kept fresh using this method for up to five months. When boiling eggs so preserved, the shell is no longer accessible to water, and the egg will tend to crack unless a hole in the shell is made (e.g. with a pin) in order to allow steam to escape.