Abstract

Groundnut decorticators are vital agricultural tools designed to separate kernels from their shells, enhancing efficiency in processing groundnuts (peanuts). Groundnut processing involves several steps, including decortication, which is the removal of the seed coat from the kernel. Groundnut decorticators are machines designed to automate this process, reducing labour requirements and increasing efficiency. This study evaluates the performance of a developed motorized operated groundnut decorticating machine. The decorticator comprises a hopper to feed in the seeds, a rotating spiked tooth drum and a blower powered by 1 HP electric motor, tripping is done by holding the seed over the spiked cylinder. The stripped kernels fall below and are collected separately. Blower is incorporated into the machine to separate lighter seeds and chaff from the groundnut kernel. The components were designed, fabricated and assembled accordingly. Experimental runs were conducted to evaluate the performance of the machine. The quantity of groundnut seeds fed into the machine ranges from 0.20 kg to 0.75 kg and time taken to decorticate the seeds increases with the quantity of seeds, ranging from 20 seconds to 42 seconds. The weight of decorticated kernels obtained also increases with the quantity of seeds, ranging from 0.170 kg to 0.71 kg. The decorticator has a throughput of 54kg/hr. and decorticating efficiency of 91% with breakage percentage of 3.56. It can be concluded that the machine is functional and can be used for various industrial and domestic applications.

Key words: Groundnut, decorticator, kernel, machine, efficiency