Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: editors Title: INDEX OF VOLUME 68 Journal: Research in Agricultural Engineering Pages: I-II Volume: 68 Issue: 4 Year: 2022 DOI: 10.17221/14828-RAE File-URL: http://rae.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/14828-RAE.html File-Format: text/html Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlrae:v:68:y:2022:i:4:id:14828-RAE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Rasheed Amao Busari Author-Workplace-Name: Food and Agricultural Engineering Department, Kwara State University Malete, Malete, Nigeria Author-Name: Joshau Olarnrewaju Olaoye Author-Workplace-Name: Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria Author-Name: Emmanuel Segun Adebayo Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Agricultural and Bioresources Engineering, Federal University of Technology Minna, Minna, Nigeria Author-Name: Adeshina Fadeyibi Author-Workplace-Name: Food and Agricultural Engineering Department, Kwara State University Malete, Malete, Nigeria Title: Development and evaluation of a combined roaster expeller for castor seeds for biodiesel production Abstract: A combined roaster and oil expeller was developed with locally available and accessible materials and the efficiency of the machine was evaluated. The obtained result shows that the efficiency of the machine is a function of the roasting temperature, the roasting duration, the moisture contents of the processed seeds and the machine feeding rate. The expeller is movable, simple in design for local fabrication, is easy to operate, requires few repairs and little maintenance and is cost effective. It is powered using a gear reduction electric motor of 5.5 Hp, the expeller has an average oil yield of 25.77% and an extraction efficiency of 70.26% and is designed to work for 8 hours per day of operation. The shaft diameter was designed to be 30 mm, while the roaster heater capacity was 2.8 kW. The designed machine is good for castor oil expression for both small- and medium-scale processing among rural and urban communities. Keywords: design and oil yield, extraction efficiency, extractor, process parameters Journal: Research in Agricultural Engineering Pages: 169-179 Volume: 68 Issue: 4 Year: 2022 DOI: 10.17221/83/2020-RAE File-URL: http://rae.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/83/2020-RAE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/rae-202204-0002.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlrae:v:68:y:2022:i:4:id:83-2020-RAE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Nnaemeka R. Nwakuba Author-Workplace-Name: Department Agricultural & Bioresources Engineering, School of Engineering & Engineering Technology, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria Author-Name: Osita C. Chukwuezie Author-Workplace-Name: Department Agricultural & Bio-environmental Engineering, School of Engineering Technology, Imo State Polytechnic Umuagwo-Ohaji, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria Author-Name: Maxwell I. Chikwue Author-Workplace-Name: Department Agricultural & Bioresources Engineering, School of Engineering & Engineering Technology, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria Author-Name: Chibuike Ononogbo Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Agriculture & Environmental Sciences, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria Author-Name: Cyprian Dirioha Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Agricultural and Bioresources Engineering, College of Engineering & Engineering Technology, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Nigeria Author-Name: Merlin Simo-Tagne Author-Workplace-Name: Nancy-Metz Academy, Nancy, France Title: Strength properties of the Bambara kernel (Vigna subterranean) as influenced by the moisture content and kernel size Abstract: The fracture resistance of food grains is an essential piece of information required for the optimum design and development of agricultural post-harvest machinery. In this study, the strength properties of two varieties of Bambara kernels (TVSU-1395 and TVSU-1353) were examined in terms of the mean rupture force, absorbed energy, and deformation as affected by the moisture content and kernel size. To achieve this, a quasi-compressive force was applied on the two varieties of Bambara kernels of varying moisture contents (5.43%, 7.24%, 9.01%, 11.54%, and 13.62% wb) and kernel sizes (small, medium, and large) in between the loading compartments of a universal Testometric device at a 20 mm/min loading rate. The experiments take ten treatments with 20 replications subjected factorially to a completely randomised design (CRD) into consideration. The results revealed that the force needed to initiate the kernel fracture increased with an increase in the kernel size and moisture content from 101.44 to 235.06 N and 74.69 to 190.49 N for TVSU-1395 and TVSU-1353, respectively; whereas the energy at the kernel fracture point increased in a range of 0.074 to 0.401 J and 0.062 to 0.141 J for TVSU-1395 and TVSU-1353, respectively. The kernel deformation increased with the moisture content and size from 0.654 to 3.746 mm. These infer that the large kernel size of the TVSU-1395 variety at a 5.4% moisture content had greater compressive strength than the TVSU-1353 variety. The kernel moisture and size exhibited a strong correlation (0.958 ≤ R2 ≤ 0.997) with the strength parameters. The results of this study will help the food industry in designing energy-efficient post-harvest equipment for Bambara kernel processing. Further studies may consider the strength attributes of Bambara kernels at varying rates of loading, kernel orientations, and varieties to optimise the best process conditions for the post-harvest handling of different Bambara cultivars and develop labour-saving decorticating machines. Keywords: compressive force, rupture, energy, deformation, yield strength Journal: Research in Agricultural Engineering Pages: 180-193 Volume: 68 Issue: 4 Year: 2022 DOI: 10.17221/94/2021-RAE File-URL: http://rae.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/94/2021-RAE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/rae-202204-0003.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlrae:v:68:y:2022:i:4:id:94-2021-RAE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Viktor Novák Author-Workplace-Name: Department Electrical Engineering and Automation, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Jaromír Volf Author-Workplace-Name: Department Electrical Engineering and Automation, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Daniel Novák Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Technology, Matej Bel University, Banská Bystrica, Slovak Republic Author-Name: Václav Vrbík Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Computer Science and Educational Technology, University of West Bohemia, Pilsen, Czech Republic Author-Name: Vladimír Ryženko Author-Workplace-Name: Department Electrical Engineering and Automation, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Ján Stebila Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Technology, Matej Bel University, Banská Bystrica, Slovak Republic Title: Evaluation of electrical resistance of electrodes with conductive ink for agriculture applications using computer technology Abstract: The article presents the ongoing research, which aims to select suitable electrodes and mixtures of conductive inks, which will be used as a converter between the pressure and electrical quantities in the design of planar pressure transducers. In the described research, we continue our previous work and the work of other authors who have previously dealt with the properties of conductive inks and electrodes. Due to the only partial results in the given field, we decided to perform an extensive and original measurement of a total of 172 combinations of different electrode sizes, various conductive ink mixtures and ink layer thicknesses. Thanks to this, it will be possible, in the future, to select a suitable combination of electrodes and inks when designing pressure sensors for industrial and agricultural applications without the need to perform time-consuming preparatory measurements. The aim of the measurements is also to determine the usable working range of the pressures and the corresponding sensitivity for certain combinations of electrodes and inks, and to also exclude those variants which are unsuitable for the given purposes. This paper presents the introductory part of the measurements, which aims to verify the methodology of the measurements on a test plate at robotised workspace that is connected to a PC in real time via the program LabView. The described introductory measurements proved our methodology to be suitable to the given purpose; however, there minor problems emerged with the actual working pressure range of the transducer and the consequential necessary adjustments of the control program. Keywords: conductive ink, electrode, LabView, pressure, tactile sensor, tyre Journal: Research in Agricultural Engineering Pages: 194-200 Volume: 68 Issue: 4 Year: 2022 DOI: 10.17221/60/2021-RAE File-URL: http://rae.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/60/2021-RAE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/rae-202204-0004.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlrae:v:68:y:2022:i:4:id:60-2021-RAE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Arie Sudaryanto Author-Workplace-Name: Research Center for Appropriate Technology, National Research and Innovation Agency, Subang, Indonesia Author-Name: Dadang Dayat Hidayat Author-Workplace-Name: Research Center for Appropriate Technology, National Research and Innovation Agency, Subang, Indonesia Author-Name: Diang Sagita Author-Name: Ashri Indriati Author-Workplace-Name: Research Center for Appropriate Technology, National Research and Innovation Agency, Subang, Indonesia Author-Name: Ari Rahayuningtyas Author-Workplace-Name: Research Center for Appropriate Technology, National Research and Innovation Agency, Subang, Indonesia Title: Engineering properties of the cashew nut in context of designing post-harvest handling and processing machinery Abstract: The determination of the engineering properties of the cashew nut is essential as the basis for the design and development of appropriate and optimum post-harvest handling and processing machinery. The present study examined the physical, mechanical and colour properties of cashew nuts (n = 100) at a moisture content of 7.63% (wet basis) derived from Central Java, Indonesia. The main characteristics included the length, width, thickness, mass, volume, and density. The derivative properties consisted of the geometric diameter, arithmetic diameter, surface area, frontal surface area, transverse area, shape index, sphericity, bulk density, and porosity. The mechanical properties included the static friction, static and dynamic angle of repose, and compressive load (in four orientations). It was identified that the cashew nut from Central Java was dominant with a small-medium size with an average mass of 5.42 ± 0.99 g. This cashew nut was thicker, but shorter in length than the cashew nuts from India, Nigeria, and Ivory Coast. The results of the stepwise regression analysis determined that the volume had the most substantial relationship with the mass (R2 = 0.949), the bulk density had the highest correlation with the mass (R2 = 0.968), and the porosity showed a high correlation with the true density and mass (R2 = 0.997). The highest friction, static angle of repose, and-dynamic angle of repose occurred on the surface plywood, and the lowest was on the stainless-steel surface. In the context of designing appropriate cashew nut cracking equipment, it was recommended to provide the impact parallel to the longitudinal axis orientation due to the minimum compressive load (reduce the power requirement). Furthermore, the cashew nut colour properties of the L*, a*, b* coordinates were 35.988, 0.427, 1.718, respectively. Keywords: angle of repose, appropriate technology, compressive load, physical properties Journal: Research in Agricultural Engineering Pages: 201-209 Volume: 68 Issue: 4 Year: 2022 DOI: 10.17221/83/2021-RAE File-URL: http://rae.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/83/2021-RAE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/rae-202204-0005.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlrae:v:68:y:2022:i:4:id:83-2021-RAE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Musa Bappah Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Sustainable Technologies, Faculty of Tropical AgriScience, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Jiří Bradna Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Technological Equipment of Buildings, Faculty of Engineering, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Jan Malaťák Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Technological Equipment of Buildings, Faculty of Engineering, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Petr Vaculík Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Technological Equipment of Buildings, Faculty of Engineering, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Title: Viability of some African agricultural by-products as a feedstock for solid biofuel production Abstract: As a source of renewable energy, agricultural by-products after pre-processing and cleaning in post-harvest lines can be used as a feedstock for the production of pellets or briquettes. This can be achieved by determining the physicochemical properties of the by-products. Groundnut pods, maize cobs and the husks of rice, millet and sorghum were considered, and their properties were determined, which were then compared with the standard properties of pellets and briquettes to ascertain their viability as a feedstock for the pellet or briquette production. The by-products were transported from Nigeria to the Czech Republic and the research was carried out at the Department of Technological Equipment of Buildings, the Faculty of Engineering, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague. The moisture content, ash content, calorific value, nitrogen content and sulfur content were the properties considered of the by-products. Groundnut pods and maize cobs with a calorific value of 17.48 MJ.kg-1 and 16.25 MJ.kg-1, an ash content of 3.46% weight and 1.79% weight, a nitrogen content of 1.24% weight and 0.44% weight and a moisture content of 7.92 weight and 7.56% weight, respectively, were discovered to fulfill all the requirements for graded non-woody pellets A. With the exception of rice husks and millet husks, which were discovered to have high ash contents and low calorific values, all the by-products fulfilled the standard requirements for one or more grade of pellet/briquette. They can, therefore, be used as a good feedstock for pellet or briquette production. Keywords: briquette, groundnut pods, maize cobs, pellet Journal: Research in Agricultural Engineering Pages: 210-215 Volume: 68 Issue: 4 Year: 2022 DOI: 10.17221/74/2021-RAE File-URL: http://rae.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/74/2021-RAE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/rae-202204-0006.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlrae:v:68:y:2022:i:4:id:74-2021-RAE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Dedi Wahyudi Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Agro-industrial Technology, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia Author-Workplace-Name: Polbangtan Medan, Ministry of Agriculture Republic Indonesia, Medan, Indonesia Author-Name: Erliza Noor Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Agro-industrial Technology, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia Author-Name: Dwi Setyaningsih Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Agro-industrial Technology, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia Author-Workplace-Name: Surfactant and Bioenergy Research Center, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia Author-Name: Taufik Djatna Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Physics, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia Author-Name: Irmansyah Irmansyah Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Physics, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia Title: Prediction of the rhodinol content in Java citronella oil using NIR spectroscopy in the initial stage developing a spectral smart sensor system - Case report Abstract: The rhodinol content is an essential component in determining the citronella oil qualities. This study aimed to develop a model calibrated to predict the rhodinol content in citronella oil using near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. This research is the initial stage in developing a spectral smart sensor system that predicts the rhodinol content of citronella oil in the distillation and fractionating process. Citronella oil samples were scanned by NIRFlex liquid N-500 with a wavelength of 1 000-2 500 nm having an absorbance value (log 1/T). The accuracy of the prediction was achieved using the partial least square (PLS) model. Based on the NIR spectrum at a peak of around 1 620 nm, the rhodinol content in the citronella oil was estimated. The finest model to predict the rhodinol content was y = 0.9874x + 15.6439 with a standard error of the calibration set (SEC) = 2.78%, a standard error of the prediction set (SEP) = 2.88%, a ratio of the performance to the deviation (RPD) = 9.23, a coefficient of variation (CV) = 16.81%, and the correlation coefficient (r) = 0.99. The NIR and PLS models are possible to use for the initial stage in developing a spectral smart sensor system to determine the rhodinol content of citronella oils. Keywords: calibration, fractional distillation, partial least square, process control, spectra Journal: Research in Agricultural Engineering Pages: 216-222 Volume: 68 Issue: 4 Year: 2022 DOI: 10.17221/87/2021-RAE File-URL: http://rae.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/87/2021-RAE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/rae-202204-0007.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlrae:v:68:y:2022:i:4:id:87-2021-RAE