Research in Agricultural Engineering, 2022 (vol. 68), issue 4
INDEX OF VOLUME 68
editors
Res. Agr. Eng., 2022, 68(4):I-II | DOI: 10.17221/14828-RAE 
Development and evaluation of a combined roaster expeller for castor seeds for biodiesel productionOriginal Paper
Rasheed Amao Busari, Joshau Olarnrewaju Olaoye, Emmanuel Segun Adebayo, Adeshina Fadeyibi
Res. Agr. Eng., 2022, 68(4):169-179 | DOI: 10.17221/83/2020-RAE
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...
Strength properties of the Bambara kernel (Vigna subterranean) as influenced by the moisture content and kernel sizeOriginal Paper
Nnaemeka R. Nwakuba, Osita C. Chukwuezie, Maxwell I. Chikwue, Chibuike Ononogbo, Cyprian Dirioha, Merlin Simo-Tagne
Res. Agr. Eng., 2022, 68(4):180-193 | DOI: 10.17221/94/2021-RAE
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...
Evaluation of electrical resistance of electrodes with conductive ink for agriculture applications using computer technologyOriginal Paper
Viktor Novák, Jaromír Volf, Daniel Novák, Václav Vrbík, Vladimír Ryženko, Ján Stebila
Res. Agr. Eng., 2022, 68(4):194-200 | DOI: 10.17221/60/2021-RAE
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,...
Engineering properties of the cashew nut in context of designing post-harvest handling and processing machineryOriginal Paper
Arie Sudaryanto, Dadang Dayat Hidayat, Diang Sagita, Ashri Indriati, Ari Rahayuningtyas
Res. Agr. Eng., 2022, 68(4):201-209 | DOI: 10.17221/83/2021-RAE
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....
Viability of some African agricultural by-products as a feedstock for solid biofuel productionShort Communication
Musa Bappah, Jiří Bradna, Jan Malaťák, Petr Vaculík
Res. Agr. Eng., 2022, 68(4):210-215 | DOI: 10.17221/74/2021-RAE
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...
Prediction of the rhodinol content in Java citronella oil using NIR spectroscopy in the initial stage developing a spectral smart sensor system - Case reportShort Communication
Dedi Wahyudi, Erliza Noor, Dwi Setyaningsih, Taufik Djatna, Irmansyah Irmansyah
Res. Agr. Eng., 2022, 68(4):216-222 | DOI: 10.17221/87/2021-RAE
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...