Mechanical processing of banana slices-stem for fiber extraction

This research aimed to manufacture a simple fiber extraction machine. The machine prototype consisted of available raw materials. The beater cylinder is the most significant component in this machine. The electric motor of 0.75 kW was used to rotate the beater cylinder. The machine theory is based on the repeated rapid beating of the beaters on a slice-stem of banana. This beating simulated what labor does by using hand hammers to eliminate the juice and extract the fibers. The machine was tested under three rotational speeds of the beater cylinder 650, 750, and 850 rpm and using three beater cylinders with a different number of beaters 8, 10, and 12. The fibers produced by the machine were straight, of good quality, and not shredded, this was achieved in abundance when using the cylinder that has 10 beaters with 750 rpm rotational speeds of the beater cylinder. Thus, under these operating conditions, the extraction efficiency, the time required, and machine productivity were 88%, 40 min, and 8.6 kg h-1, respectively. The minimum value of the power required was 0.45 kW at the rotational speed of 650 rpm and using the eight beaters. While the maximum value of the power required was 0.64 kW at the rotational speed of 850 rpm and using the number of beaters 12. At the machine productivity of 8.6 kg h-1, the production cost will be 2.7 L.E. kg-1. While the costs of manual extracting of the fibers were 10 L.E. kg-1

- Effect of Tillage Methods on Oxygen Diffusion Rate (ODR), Power and Fuel Requirements, Some Soil Physical Properties and Wheat Yield: -

Three types of tillage implements including moldboard plow (conventional tillage), heavy disk (tandem disk harrow) and chisel plow (minimum tillage), is common in Iran and widely used by farmers for plowing and preparing the land for rainfed or irrigated wheat production. Determining the most suitable tillage tools for each product, which creates the lowest cost for farmers, can bring more profit to farmers while reducing the investment costs. Many soil chemical and physical properties are influenced by the type of tillage. One of the most important factors, is the soil bulk density or the amount of oxygen in the soil. Oxygen in the soil is one of the most important factors in plant growth and reducing its concentration in the soil affects plant physiological processes. Tillage methods are usually evaluated by the amount of oxygen in the soil and distribution of organic matter. On the other hand using the cropping operations program can significantly affects the amount of oxygen diffusion rate (ODR), fuel consumption and energy efficiency. Prediction of the accurate amount of fuel requirements for tillage operation of the soil is difficult. Changes in humidity, soil type and tillage depth directly effects on the amount of fuel consumption. Therefore, in this study, the effects of three types of tillage implements including moldboard plow (conventional tillage), heavy disk (tandem disk harrow) and chisel plow (minimum tillage), on the amount of power required, fuel consumption, oxygen diffusion rate (ODR) and some soil physical properties including bulk density, and organic carbon contents in a randomized complete block design was studied. The results showed that minimum tillage methods increases the amount of organic matter, reduces fuel consumption and needed less power. Highest fuel consumption of 49.6 liters per hectare and the lowest 21.3 liters per hectare, related to the moldboard plow and heavy disk, respectively. The experimental results showed that in the moldboard plow (MP), the ODR was highest (53.6×10-8 gcm-2min-1) and the lowest (35×10-8 gcm-2min-1), was measured in plowing the field by heavy disk (HD). This value was equal to 42.5×10-8 gcm-2min-1 for chisel plow (CP). Mean values ​​of soil organic carbon related to the moldboard plow (MP), chisel plow (CP) and heavy disk (HD) were 0.38, 0.43 and 0.48 percent, respectively. Effects of tillage methods on the wheat yield were not significant. Mean values ​​of the wheat yield for moldboard plow, chisel plow and heavy disk were 5.45, 5.23 and 5.36 ton/ha, respectively

Design and preliminary evaluation of an onion harvester hand tractor implement

Onions are manually harvested in the Philippines due to the unavailability of mechanical harvesters that are adaptable to local field conditions. Further, imported onion harvester is not only expensive, but it is beyond the reach of local farmers. Hence, this study design and preliminary evaluation of onion harvester hand tractor implement conceptualized to adapt the local field conditions and increase profitability in onion production. The design combines digging, cleaning, and collecting onion bulbs simultaneously in one operation. The main assemblies of the implement include the frame, digger blade, soil-onion separation device, power transmission, and discharge cart. The implement has a total weight of 68 kg; an overall dimension of 1 230 mm x 570 mm x 500 mm (l x w x h); and a power requirement of 2.08 hp. The machine was fabricated by a local manufacturer using available standard materials. The treatments were the rotary speed of the soil-onion separation device; 100 rpm, 208 rpm, and 333 rpm. The data were analyzed using Completely Randomized Design (CRD) and Tukey’s Honest Significant Difference (THSD) to further test the level of significance. Results revealed that the actual field capacity, harvesting capacity, harvesting efficiency were 0.027 ha/hr, 299.05kg/hr, and 70.93%, respectively. Hence, this study paved a way for mechanizing onion harvesting at a lower cost and further use of the machine to other root crops can be explored.&nbsp

The Influence of Propyl gallate Antioxidant on the Performance and Emission Characteristics of a Diesel Engine Fueled with Blends of khaya senegalensis (Mahogany) Biodiesel

The continuous rise in the total earth’s atmospheric temperature is basically attributed to the greenhouse effects occasioned by increased levels of CO2 and other air pollutants. The objective of this study was to investigate the Influence of propyl gallate antioxidant on the performance and emission characteristics of a diesel engine fueled with blends of khaya senegalensis (Mahogany) biodiesel on a TD 110-TD 115 single cylinder four-stroke internal combustion diesel engine under constant speed (1500 rpm) and varying load (L1, L2, L3 and L4) conditions coupled with SV 5Q automobile exhaust gas analyser. Khaya senegalensis biodiesel was produced at optimized reaction conditions using reaction variables, viz, 6:1 methanol/oil molar ratio, 0.84 wt. % catalyst concentration, 70◦C temperature and 60 min reaction time. Selected physicochemical properties of the biodiesel blends were determined using American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard procedures. The fuels used in the analyses are B0, B20, B30 and B100. Propyl gallate antioxidant were added at 1000 ppm concentration to B20, B30 and B100 to study their effect. The results showed that the PG-treated B20, B30 and B100 blend decreased the BP by 21.94%, 12.12% and 36.17% as compared to B20, B30 and B100 fuel blends, but increase by 0.99% for B20PG at L4, and increased BSFC by 21.47%, 15.42% and 22.63%. At load L4, the BSFC increase for B20PG and B100PG by 12.70% and 1.35%, and reduces for B20PG by 8.09%. BTE decreases for B20 and B100 by 28.39%, 18.63% and 34.42%, while B30PG show an increase of 8.02%. Also, B20PG recorded a drop in EGT by 15.40%, while B30PG and B100PG had 1.90% and 3.33% increases at a higher load. It is noted that the addition of PG to diesel–biodiesel blend caused to lower emissions (CO, CO2, HC, and NOx).CO reduces by 0.02 and 0.01% for B30 and B100, CO2 emission reduces by 2.13%, 2.26% and 15.0%, while, HC emission reduce by 12.73, 18.18 and 25.45% respectively at engine load L1 and 14.81, 20.37 and 24.07% at engine load L4 and NOx decreases by B20 (13.85%), B30 (21.54%), B100 (41.54%) compared to that of diesel (B0). The utilization of KSO biodiesel for engine application and the reduction in exhaust emissions was found to be a viable means of heightening adoption of sustainable biofuels and minimizing pollutant emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels. However, further research to incorporate the use of this additive in actual automobile applications is recommended to be carry out

Rice threshing is one of the imp Modification of a combine harvester threshing device: Modification of a combine harvester harvester threshing device

Ghoname, M.S.1, M.A. Soltan2, O.T. Bahnas2 and T.Z. Fouda

EFFECT OF GROUND INSULATION AND FEED STOCK ON PERFORMANCE OF FIXED DOME BIOGAS DIGESTER

The aim of the study is to determine the effect of ground insulation and feedstock on performance of fixed dome biogas digester. To achieve this, six identical fixed dome biogas digesters with volume of 32 liters were designed, constructed and used to carryout anaerobic digestion of three feedstocks namely cow abdominal waste, poultry droppings and 1:1 mixture of cow abdominal waste and poultry droppings. Three digesters were buried underground for insulation while the remaining three kept on the surface uninsulated. The ANOVA result showed that there were significant differences in the slurry temperature, volume of biogas produced and slurry pH respectively at 5% significant levels. The range of pH, Volume of biogas and slurry temperature (ST) in all the digesters with the three feedstocks were 6.987-7.045, 2.342-3.460 liters and 27.975-28.717oC, respectively. The range of values for measured physicochemical parameters  {(Ground insulated digester): (Uninsulated digesters)}  were:  TS{(4.55-5.56: (3.23-4.14)%}, VS{(3.79-4.87): (2.51-3.38)%}, BOD5 {(42.7-60.3): (36.8-54.4)mg/l}, TVC{(6.78E+05-1.09E+06): (5.44E+05-9.82E+05)cfu/ml}, Protein {(1.92-2.26): (1.64-1.86)%}, Ash{( 0.1-0.4): ( 0.1-0.3)%}, Moisture {(93.8-94.62): (95.7-95.91)%}, Fibre {(0.2-0.6): (0.2-0.5)%}, Fat {(0.45-0.8): (0.35-0.65)%},  Carbon {(3.07-4.79): (2.85-4.20)%}, COD {(160 -234.4): (149.6 -213.6)mg/l}, P{(0.22-0.28): (0.18-0.25)%} , K{(0.26-0.32): (0.24-0.29)%}, and Calorific Value {(13860-18552): (12004-17120)kJ/kg}. The total solid, volatile solid, protein contents, crude fat, BOD5, Carbon Content, COD, Phosphorus, Potassium, Total Viable Count and Calorific Value of ground insulated digester were higher than that of uninsulated surface digesters for the three different feedstocks at the end of the 30 days digestion. GC analysis of biogas showed that the percentage compositions of methane produced were 68.39%, 64.33%, 66.41%, 61.79%, 57.74%, and 59.24% for underground with cow abdominal waste, underground with poultry droppings, underground with1:1 mixture of cow abdominal waste and poultry droppings, uninsulated with cow abdominal waste, uninsulated with poultry droppings, and   uninsulated with1:1 mixture of cow abdominal waste and poultry droppings, respectively. The underground insulated biogas digester produced more methane than their counterpart uninsulated digesters containing the same feedstock signifying the importance of temperature regulation through insulation. In terms of the feedstock, the cow abdominal waste performed better than the poultry droppings in both the underground and uninsulated digesters. They mixture of 1:1 Cow abdominal waste to poultry dropping also showed better performance in methane production than the single anaerobic digestion of poultry dropping alone indicating efficiency and importance of co-digestion of feedstocks

Changes in Sensorial and Microstructural Characteristic of Puffed Brown Rice with change in Preconditioning in Hot Sand Bed Puffing: Brown Rice Puffing

Puffed rice is a popular product in Southeast Asia due to its Ready-to-Eat nature and sensorial qualities. Preconditioned polished rice is heated in hot sand to produce puffed rice. Bran layer of rice resists the expansion during the puffing. This study is carried out to improve quality and analyze the acceptability of puffed brown rice in hot sand. In this study, puffed rice was produced from parboiled brown rice (unpolished rice) with sand heating method at different preconditioning levels by varying salt levels (0-6% (w/w)). Quality parameters hardness and expansion are determined by texture analyser and method mentioned in previous literature, respectively. The fuzzy logic technique is used for analysis of sensory parameters such as taste, texture, and color. Gradual increase in salt up to 4% showed improvement in the expansion and decreased the hardness of puffed brown rice. After that 4% salt, both quality parameters showed a constant trend. Microstructural study showed puffed brown rice cross-section is similar to puffed polished rice. However, the puffed brown rice surface showed fissures of the bran layer whereas polished puffed rice showed a smooth surface. The cross-sectional view showed that air voids get wider at higher salt levels. Sensorial acceptability was studied using the fuzzy logic technique, and color is the least essential quality attribute, and taste and texture were in the first and second rank, respectively. Salt content of 4-5% produces the most acceptable puffed brown rice

The impact of the tillage systems on input-output energy, soil pulverization, and grain yield of barley

This study was aimed at assessing the effects of tillage systems and tillage speed on barley grain production, fuel consumption, specific energy, and soil pulverization. The study was conducted on the agricultural college's fields at the University of Basrah. The investigation included three conventional tillage systems, including disk plow + disk harrow + roller (T1), disk plow + two passes of a disk harrow (T2), and moldboard plow + cultivator + roller (T3), and two reduced tillage systems, including cultivator + roller (T4) and cultivator + disk harrow (T5). Three plowing speeds of 3.70 (S1), 5.68 (S2), and 7.04 (S3) km h-1 were used to prepare the soil for barley planting. The experiment was carried out using a random block design with five treatments and three replications of each treatment. All parameters showed significantly (p0<.05) different tillage strategies. Results indicated that plowing speed had a significant influence (p<0.05) on all parameters. Conventional tillage T1, T2, and T3 had the greatest values of fuel consumption, specific energy, grain yield, and the lowest value of soil pulverization at a tillage speed of 7.04 km h-1.   The reduced tillage systems (T4 and T5) had the lowest values of fuel consumption, specific energy, and grain yield, they had the greatest value of soil pulverization at a tillage speed of 3.7 km h-1. T1 achieved a higher grain yield than T2, T3, T4, and T5 by 10.76, 2.57,29.46, and 36.24%. The maximum and minimum fuel consumption under tillage treatments T1 and T5 were 33.78 and 19.77 L ha-1, respectively. The correlation analysis revealed a linearly positive relationship between fuel consumption and grain yield (R = 0.96)

Initial Analysis and Development of an Automated Maintenance System for Agrivoltaics Plants

Agrivoltaics power generation is the simultaneous use of agricultural land and photovoltaic panels. In such cases, the panels are placed more sparsely, compared to conventional photovoltaic plants. Furthermore, the panels might be mounted at higher heights, to provide the required space for the farm. Due to this arrangement of the panels in wide areas with crops on the farm, maintenance of the panels is a hard task. The major part of maintenance is to clean the panels, since the accumulation of farm dust and bird excrement can reduce the efficiency of the panels. In Agrivoltaics plants, the panels can be scattered, thus it is not economical for each panel to have a dedicated cleaning robot. This paper presents the initial design and analysis of an automated system for cleaning such power plants. This system consists of a robotic AGV, which transfers a panel cleaner between the photovoltaic panels mounted over the farms. The initial design is presented. Then, to anticipate the required power and control system, the carrier kinetics and kinematics are modeled and validated through simulations. Then, position and trajectory controllers are designed and simulations are presented. The simulations show desired performance for the introduced controlled system

Characterization and modeling of thin layer drying of cocoyam slices

Convective hot air drying of cocoyam slices was investigated at different drying temperature (40 to 90) and slice thickness (2, 4, 6 mm) at an air velocity of. The effect of drying temperature and slice thickness on the drying characteristics and drying time were determined to study the effects of heat on processed cocoyam. Mathematical modeling of the thin layer drying process was performed using eight thin layer drying models. The models were tested for validity using coefficient of determination (), chi square () and root mean square error (RMSE). The effect of the drying temperature on the colour of dried cocoyam was also investigated. The colour was measured using CIE L* a* b* method. The results showed that, increasing the drying air temperature and decreasing slice thickness reduces the drying time of cocoyam. The effective moisture diffusivity increased with increase in drying temperature and the biot number () of cocoyam at temperature of 40 to 70 were less than 0.1 while that of 80 to 90 were in the range of 0.1 <  100. The activation energy obtained at 40 to 90 was 37.92 kJ. The Page model was found to be best fit for the drying kinetics of cocoyam. The largest colour difference was observed at 90 compared to the fresh sample. Increase in temperature reduced the brightness and yellowness of cocoyam