Abstract
Warqe processing is carried out dominantly by women using traditional tools such as a bamboo scraper, serrated wooden tool and metal knife where losses in quality and quantity are exceptionally high. Above all, the traditional way of warqe processing causes physically drudgery among the rural women. In an effort to alleviate the problem, an engine is driven warqe decorticating machine was designed, constructed, tested and evaluated at field conditions. The performance evaluation of the machine was made in terms of decorticating capacity, decorticating efficiency, percentage pulp loss, and fuel consumption. The performance evaluation was carried out at three levels of drum speeds (850, 950 and 1050 rpm), concave clearances (1, 3 and 6 mm) and feeding rates (0.037, 0.056 and 0.074 kg/s, these are based on the feeding rates of 1.00, 1.50 and 2.00 kg/27s) to determine the optimum combination of the same. The experimental design laid was factorial, in the split-split plot. The maximum decorticating capacity of 255.38 kg/hr was obtained at a drum speed of 850 rpm, concave clearance of 1 mm and feeding rate of 0.074 kg/s. The decorticating efficiency and percentage un-decorticated pulp highly depended on concave clearance rather than other factors. Maximum decorticating efficiency 98.97% and minimum pulp loss of 1.03% were achieved at drum beater speed of 850 rpm and concave clearance of 1mm. The production cost of the decorticator was found to be 28,322.00 Birr. The total operating cost of the decorticator estimated to be, 48,925.38 Birr and the payback period and benefit-cost ratio of the prototype decorticating machine were estimated to be 0.90 years and 1.64, respectively.
Highlights
Warqe (Ensete ventricosum) belongs to the order Scitamineae, the family Musaceae and the genus Ensete
The data collected at each test run at different combinations of feed rate, cylinder speed, and concave clearance was subject to ANOVA to determine the level and extent of the effect of the variables on the machine performance
During the process of decortication, the machine was operated under different combination of drum speeds, concave clearance and feed rates
Summary
Warqe (Ensete ventricosum) belongs to the order Scitamineae, the family Musaceae and the genus Ensete. Warqe is banana like herbaceous monocarpic plant with underground corm, a bundle of leaf sheaths that form a pseudostem and large leaves. Enset is usually larger than a banana, with the largest plant up to 10 m tall and with a pseudostem up to one meter in diameter [3]. One of the high yielding potential plants in Ethiopia is warqe and Cassava that yields more than 300 and 250 quintal/hectare/year, respectively [15, 16] the shelf-life of Kocho is by far better than Cassava if handled properly. Due to its drought tolerance and high productivity, Ensetis regarded as a priority food security crop in Ethiopia [17, 18] where it makes a major contribution to food security of the country. Warqe is grown at an altitude ranging from 1,100 to more than 3,000 meters above sea level. Variation among the species with altitude, soil and climate have allowed the widespread cultivation of the crop in the mid to highlands [11]
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