Effect of filtrating medium resistance on cassava pulp dewatering

Open Access JournalCassava pulp dewatering by applying pressure on the grated pulp was carried out. Pulp particles were constrained while the liquid was free. The cassava pulp cake was compressed. Experimental equipment was designed to obtain the applied pressure from various devices and the final moisture content of resulting cake was compared. Hydraulic jack press reduced the moisture content of cake to the acceptable level for gari production at a pressure of 69000 N/m2 and to a moisture content of 40%- 45%wet basis, Pulp particles capable of creating resistances within the filtering medium were identified

Evaluation of cassava mash dewatering methods

Open Access JournalUsing different cassava maturity age of 9, 12 and 15 months, evaluation study was carried out on cassava mash dewatering methods. Dewatering tanks with square and cylindrical shapes were made with steel for the experiment. Pressure devices from screw bolts, hydraulic jack press and rope / stick methods were used to squeezed cassava juice from the mash in the tanks. TMS 4(2) 1425 variety of cassava was used. Cylindrical tank containing a 12 months old sample with hydraulic jack gave mash cake with moisture content of the sample at 44% wet basis in the shortest time

Instrumented rig for cassava harvesting data acquisition

In the design of a viable and appropriate cassava tuber harvester, the lifting coefficient of cassava tuber was determined to be a function of lifting force, lifting time, speed of lifting, weight of the tuber and soil surrounding the tuber.  This paper described the design, construction and operation of an instrumented rig which allows the simulation of cassava tuber harvesting in the field.  The rig consisted of the gantry, chain block, chains, hook/fisher, variable speed electric motor, 5 kN load cell and DI-1000U data logger.  The developed rig was tested in a matured cassava field located at the experimental farm of the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanization, Ilorin, Nigeria in 2012.  The rig effectively uprooted cassava tuber in the field in about 10 seconds and gave the maximum force of 678 N at soil moisture content of 11.96% db and uprooting speed of 8 mm/s.  The developed rig should be utilized to generate force required to harvest cassava tubers at various soil moisture content and speed of uprooting at various soil types.  The data generated could be utilized as base line data for the development of viable hand held and tractor drawn cassava harvester

Preventing occupational ailments and disorders associated with cassava mash dewatering techniques

Open Access JournalMethods in use to reduce the cyanide level in cassava were found to be dangerous to the processors. To reduce occupational hazards, cassava processors sometimes wear protective coverings such as hand gloves, overall, mouth/nose hood, eye goggles which are not comfortable. Each of the steps in cassava processing stages exposes workers to various occupationally related ailments and disorders of ergonomic origin. The operators of dewatering tools are at the risks of suffering from different ailments.The traditional processors still depend on the old technique and resources. Workers are often exposed to cyanide and many are scared of the toxic effect of cassava juice. To prevent the occupational related ailment, mash process handling machine was developed and evaluated. The obtained result by use of the machine confirms the operators’ protection. The obtained mash cake was found to meet the stake holders’ requirement of 47-50% moisture content wet bases without human contact

Determination of juice removal difficulty from mash cake in cassava mash dewatering operation

Open Access JournalCassava processing equipment operators have limited knowledge; this militates against the success recorded in the research so far in cassava mash dewatering. New dewatering schemes to make food processing economical to handle are in progress. Common dewatering processes use a variety of mechanical means such as screw presses and belt presses. Experiments were conducted using three samples of TMS 4(2) 1425 variety while evaluating the difficulty of separating juice from mash cake. Average specific cake resistance (α) of 5×1011 m/kg was obtained confirming that it is moderately easy to dewatering

Determination of some physical and mechanical properties of soybean and maize in relation to planter design

Maize and soybeans are agricultural materials that serve as food to both man and livestock and also serve as by-product used in manufacturing industries. The knowledge of some physical and mechanical properties of these seeds is important tool for designing agricultural machines and equipment for planting, harvesting, processing, packaging and storage. Some of the properties determined include size, geometric mean diameter, surface area, bulk volume, bulk density, true density, porosity, sphericity, angle of repose, coefficient of friction, rupture force and rupture energy. The mean values measured and recorded for the length, width, thickness, geometric mean diameter, surface area, bulk volume, bulk density, true density, porosity and sphericity of maize and soybean were 1.043 cm, 0.883 cm, 0.405 cm, 0.716 cm, 1.621cm2, 29.200 ml, 1.169 g/ml, 1.369 g/ml, 14.599% and 0.693; 0.737 cm, 0.627 cm, 0.468 cm, 0.600 cm, 1.135 cm2, 16.6 ml, 1.071 g/ml, 1.0865 g/ml, 1.397% and 0.814 respectively. The mean angle of repose and coefficient of friction over stainless steel, galvanized steel, mild steel and plywood for maize and soybean were 38.6° and 0.805, 36.7° and 0.746, 38.28° and 0.794 and 34.75° and 0.702; 53.91° and 1.407, 51.67° and 1.293, 48.33° and 1.1425 and 47.67° and 1.110 respectively. The rupture forces on the major, intermediate and minor axis for maize and soybean were measured and recorded to be 175.296 N,156.550 N and 328.488 N; 52.562 N, 40.504N and 0 N respectively. The properties determined relevant to the design of the components of a planter such as the hopper, the seed plate and the delivery tube. It also helps in the selection of materials to use and to know the amount of force a material can withstand before rupture occurs

Evaluation of Reliability of Prototype Tractor – Mounted Cocoyam (Xanthosoma spp.) Harvester

An elevator digger type harvester for cocoyam (Xanthosoma spp.) was designed and fabricated at the Federal University of Technology, Akure using locally available materials. The harvester prototype is tractor – mounted and powered from the tractor Power – take – off shaft (P.T.O).  Field tests were conducted to evaluate the effect of different levels of operational parameters on the reliability of the implement. The operational parameters were forward speed (v), rake angle (α) and web speed (n). The harvester was operated at the forward speeds of 2, 4 and 6 km/h, rake angles of 15˚, 20˚ and 25˚ and web speeds of 540, 1000 rpm. These combinations were tested on a factorial basis employing a split - split plot design with three replications. The indices of reliability of the implement investigated were material failure to machine parts, clogging and machine adjustment. Cocoyam cormels were harvested from 10m long rows of crops on clay loam soil with a spacing of 0.8m x 0.6m according to each treatment. The soil moisture content during field experimentation was 9.46 ± 1.02%, and bulk density was 1.18 ± 0.22 g/cm3.  The field tests revealed that machine performance was limited by delays due to clogging and machine adjustments and a high percentage of tuber damage (55%). The analysis of variance performed on the descriptive statistics for machine performance variables obtained showed that the results are significant for only Machine adjustments at P < 0.01.  Keywords: Reliability, Breakdown, Web, Clogging, Material failure, Failure rate, Mean time before failure, Nigeri

Development and Performance Evaluation of a Melon Depodding Machine

Rosana G. Moreira, Editor-in-Chief; Texas A&M UniversityThis is a paper from International Commission of Agricultural Engineering (CIGR, Commission Internationale du Genie Rural) E-Journal Volume 8 (2006): Development and Performance Evaluation of a Melon Depodding Machine. Manuscript PM 06 018. Vol. VIII. August, 2006

Engineering research to improve cassava processing technology

Cassava is an important food crop, and equipment development for processing it in the developing world requires more research as industrial processing of cassava is still limited. Research efforts made by local engineers need scientific improvement to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), aimed at poverty reduction over a stipulated period of time with globally defined measurable indicators of progress. The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), the Report of the Commission for Africa (popularly referred to as the Tony Blair Report), and the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) are targeted at re-positioning Africa in the world economy. The need for rapid cassava processing equipment and new equipment development to significantly improve stages involved in its production process is highlighted in this paper