Title: Development and performance evaluation of a pedal operated seed cleaner (POS cleaner)

Abstract

Traditional grain cleaning methods such as winnowing are labor-intensive, time-consuming, and inefficient. The commercially available mechanical seed cleaners are associated with high initial, maintenance, and operating costs. This created a need for an intermediate seed cleaning technology bridging between the traditional cleaning methods and mechanical cleaners. Therefore, a Pedal Operated Seed Cleaner (PoS-Cleaner) was developed. POS cleaner powered by a pedaling system, which rotates the cleaning sieves (trommels). This makes it applicable in remote areas without access to fuel or electricity. Seeds to be cleaned are fed into the hopper of POS, which are directed to the inner sieve with mesh sizes larger than seeds to trap large particles such as stones, crushed cobs. The remnants are directed to the two outer interlocking sieves (one sieve fixed and the other adjustable), which emit particles smaller than the seeds such as dust, chaff. The mesh sizes of the outer interlocking sieves can be adjusted, which permits cleaning multiple seeds. POS was tested on maize, beans, and groundnuts, whose cleaning rates were 576.5 kg/h, 375.8 kg/h, and 377.4 kg/h, respectively. Also, the cleaning efficiencies were 95.09% (maize), 87.61% (beans), and 81.67% (groundnuts). Thus, the adaption of POS-cleaner presents a viable cleaning option for smallholder farmers in rural and remote areas with no access to the national grid.

Biography

Wilber Akatuhurira is an industrial designer at Badaye Technologies Limited with 2 years of successful experience in combining art, business and Engineering to make products that simplify work especially for local farmers. He specializes in sketching out ideas, using computer software to develop virtual models and examining production costs to determine manufacturing requirements. He is a fresh graduate from Makerere University with a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Engineering. While in School, he developed a lifting mechanism that was adopted by an Engineering Company and this reduced about 5% of company’s operational costs. A strong believer in the power of the developing technology, Wilber is proud to contribute to the satisfaction of the clients through designing high performing and efficient products.