FABRICATION OF COCOA SEEDS SOLAR DRYER
Abstract
ABSTRACT
A cocoa seed solar was developed at the department of Agricultural and Bio-Environmental Engineering, Lagos State Polytechnic. The components of the dryer include cover plate, solar collector, drying chamber, cover glass, temperature and humidity sensors, absorber plate, inverter, battery (100AH), solar panel frame, solar panel and solar charger controller. The drying takes place for 30hrs, (five consecutive days) from 9:00am to 5:00pm on daily basis.
Results from the drying experiment revealed that the drying temperature and humidity have significant effects on both the moisture content and drying rate of the cocoa seeds. The final moisture content of the dried cocoa seeds after the dryer experiment was 9.02% with drying rate of 0.00016\text{g/sec}.
Cocoa seeds obtained in this study are hygienic and it is of good quality compared to the product obtained from the traditional method of drying cocoa by the local cocoa seeds processors.
This method of drying takes care of the challenges faced by the local cocoa seed processors farmers and it is therefore recommended for their utilization in cocoa seeds production.
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