Developing a mixed solar drier for improved postharvest handling of food grains

Abstract

Drying of grain is usually achieved by spreading grains on earth for solar radiation. This technique is moderate, but being unsecured from a downpour, dust, invasion of bugs, rodents, and distinct animals, items might be severely degraded to the degree that occasionally becomes contaminated and issued loss of nourishment excellence. To defeat this, solar drying is the greatest assuring technique for the protection of agricultural commodities. In the proposed research, the low-cost mixed-mode solar dryer was developed (Workshop of Dr. D. Y. Patil Institute of Technology, Pimpri, Pune, Maharashtra, India) using locally accessible, environmentally friendly materials, and the performance was evaluated. The solar dryer was developed using the components like a solar collector (reflector), adjusting slot, connector, air heater chamber, stand, drying chamber, helical screw assembly, handle, hopper, and hose pipe. The drier had a 10 kg loading capacity for wheat grains. The average temperature rise observed in the drying chamber was about 27.7^OC above the ambient temperature at around 3 pm afternoon which is significantly higher than the ambient temperature The dryer exhibited sufficient ability to dry food items relatively rapid to a safe moisture level, and together, it assures the excellent quality of the dried commodity.