Performance Evaluation of Maize Dehusker Cum Sheller Machine for Small-Scale Maize Processing Farmers

Enemaku, Lawrence Ebenehi, & Ogunlade, Christopher Bamidele, Volume 5 Issue 1, July 2024 Pages 1-12, Published: 2024-04-20

Abstract

To provide better on-farm maize processing operations for small and medium-scale farmers, post-harvest operations such as dehusking and shelling require mechanization and demand the use of suitable and appropriate machinery to obtain higher operational efficiencies at the optimum rate. This maize dehusking-shelling machine evaluated is easy to operate and was constructed from available local materials. The performances of the developed machine were evaluated at four (4) varying speeds to achieve different dehusking and shelling efficiencies, throughput capacity, and percentage of whole grain that passed through the designed machine sieve. It was observed that shelling process at a moisture content of 13.6% wet basis and varying machine rotating speed of 450, 400, 350, and 300 rpm for 120 seconds, the machine delivered an output of shelled grain masses of 19.72, 18.57, 17.83, and 14.46 kg respectively. The dehusking and shelling operations performance efficiency of 99.6, 92.85, 89.15, and 72.3% was recorded at 20kg undehusked and unshelled maize cob loading capacity. Maximum whole grain recovery through the sieve with minimal loss to whole grain damages was observed at 450 rpm speed. The output capacity of the machine showed that equal mass (quantity) of undehusked maize and unshelled maize cobs were dehusked and shelled 36-times faster than manual dehusking and shelling operations when compared.