Language
English
In the first phase of the project in 2016, Kopernik built a solar dryer and tested it with copra and cashews on Adonara Island, Larantuka, East Nusa Tenggara. From this experiment, Kopernik found that the solar dryer could dry larger quantities of agricultural produce more quickly while using less space. However, the cost of building the solar dryer with a 1000 kg capacity was expensive, and some materials used were not locally available.
Applying our lessons learned from the first phase, Kopernik designed a new model for Ile Padung Village, Larantuka, East Nusa Tenggara to dry cashews. This version was smaller, more economical, easier to build and exclusively used locally available materials. Kopernik used this model to develop a Solar Dryer Manual (please see pdf attached) which we have published and publicly shared. This step-by-step guide will allow farmers, cooperatives and NGOs to construct this particular model themselves. The manual can also be used as a base and will allow partners to adapt and customise the design for different commodities, capacities and special requirements. The functionality of this solar dryer was tested by conducting side-by-side tests comparing the current method of drying using an electric oven, versus drying using a combination of the solar dryer and the electric oven.
Kopernik hypothesized that using a solar dryer would be more cost-effective than using an electric oven for drying cashews. Kopernik measured the time taken to dry soft skin cashews (second stage drying) in the K-dryer, with the aim of reaching a 14 percent moisture level. We also recorded the production cost for each of the two drying methods.
Our experiment concluded that the solar dryer could:
Effectively reduce the drying time for the second stage of drying by up to 90 percent- from 90 hours to 5 hours;
Reduce the cost of electricity across all stages of drying by up to 71 percent - from US$105.46 to US$30.13;
Reach a 14.6 percent moisture level for soft skin cashews against the optimal moisture level of 14 to 15 percent for stage two drying1.
1. Cashew Nut Processing: Sources Of Environmental Pollution And Standards. 2011. International Journal of Agriculture Sciences
Related Project:
Increasing Farmer Incomes: Solar Drying Solutions
Author:
Çantika Marlangen
Time period:
May 2017 to Jan 2018
Timeline:
Full report:
Attachment
Size
Project Report Increasing Farmer Incomes Solar Drying Solutions Phase Two
1.45 MBHow to Build Your Own Solar Dryer Manual
2.17 MB