Fabrication and Testing of a Manual Charcoal-Fired Groundnut Fryer

Groundnut is an agricultural product that is of great value to both man and animals. It serves as raw material for industries. Frying is the process of generating characteristic aroma, flavour and colour required by consumers for acceptance of such fried food. The wide range usage of groundnut and its products has led to increase in its demand. However, the local methods of roasting Groundnut seeds after it has been shelled has some associated problems and difficulties which make it ineffective, laborious and time consuming. A manually operated Groundnut seed roaster was constructed with the aim of improving on the traditional methods commonly used in the Nigeria. The machine shows the roasting efficiency (Er) to be in the realm of 98.0% with percentages of seed damaged (loss) in the range of 2.00-20.0%.   The average and optimum time for roasting was estimated to be in the range of 4 minutes. Keywords: Groundnut, charcoal, groundnut fryer, mechanization, heat DOI: 10.7176/JNSR/9-1-0

Comparative Assessment of Splash Erosion Measuring Devices in Auchi Polytechnic, Auchi, Edo State

Soil erosion is recognized as a global threat against the sustainability of the natural ecosystem and the environment because of its severe effects in agricultural productivity, damage to infrastructure and pollution of water bodies.  This study aims to compare the splash erosion on open field using Morgan and splash board method.  The fabrication of the splash cups and splash board was carried based on the principles of the already existing devices in literature and in the department of Agricultural and Bio-Environmental Engineering Technology Auchi Polytechnic Auchi. The rainstorm depth ranged from 7 to 81 mm and the computed KE obtained ranged from 294 to 3233.4 J/m2. A total of 15 rainfall events were used in the season.  For site A the amount of soil splashed per rainfall event ranged from 0.02 g/m2 to 4.77 g/m2 and zero (no splash) to 2.39 g/m2 for Morgan cup and Splash board device respectively. Studies of splash erosion on cultivated land should be made to determine the effect of cultivation on the soil in the area. Keywords: Morgan’s Splash cup, splash board, kinetic energy, soil erosion, splash erosion, rainstorm DOI: 10.7176/JEES/11-4-06 Publication date: April 30th 202

Construction and Testing of a Treatment System for Raw Water

Water is a wonder of Nature. One among the major problems confronting the world today is access to clean and safe water. The objective of the study was to assemble an affordable water treatment unit for domestic use. This study was carried out in Auchi, which is located between latitude 70 10’ and 70 20’ North of the equator and longitude 60 16’ and 60 36’ east of the Greenwich Meridian with an altitude of 207m. The components of the treatment system are raw water tank, coagulation tank, sedimentation tank, filtration chamber, micro filters, ultraviolent light and treated water storage tank. Sample of the raw water collected from River Orhle in Auchi was kept at a constant temperature in a refrigerator. The raw and  treated water sample was collected in a four litres jerican for laboratory analysis to test for Turbidity, pH, Appearance, Taste, Colour, Electrical conductivity, total dissolved solid (TDS), Nitrates, iron content, total hardness etc. The results met the desired specifications and standards set by WHO and NAFDAC for potable water usage. Keywords: Potable water, raw water, water treatment, slow sand filter, ultraviolent light, water qualit

Problems and Prospects of Soil Amendments for Soil and Water Conservation in Nigeria

A soil amendment or conditioner is anything added to soil that improves its physical and chemical properties.  The aim of this study was to review the commonly used soil amendment in Nigeria,their effectiveness and the problems associated with their usage. The ease with which water and plant nutrients seeps beyond the plant root zone making it unavailable for plant growth and development is often corrected by applying amendments, the categories of soil amendments are broad, and may include organic amendments to change the texture of soil, fertilizers to boost the nutrient structure, cover crops to add aeration and drainage or even items that will change the pH of soil.  The common soil conditioners in Nigeria are: Cow dung, poultry litters, Goat yard manure (GYM) and compost. The challenges with the use of organic amendments without proper precaution are its tendency to cause pollution to land and water especially portable water. But to a large extent, the practice is highly economical and result oriented. Some soil amendments are extremely high in salts. They are to be used with caution. Plant-based composts are low in salt. Keywords: Biofertilizer, Soil Conditioners, Soil Amendment, Soil Conservation, Water Management, Bioremediation, soil physical propertie