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ENGINEERED UNITS FOR PROCESSING AMARANTH IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

ENGINEERED UNITS FOR PROCESSING AMARANTH IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. Professor Aubrey Sykes, Ph.D., P.E. Engineering Department Calvin College; Grand Rapids, MI ASykes@calvin.edu. (c) 2011 Prof. J. Aubrey Sykes, Ph.D., P.E. Calvin College Engineering. 1. Calvin College.

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ENGINEERED UNITS FOR PROCESSING AMARANTH IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

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  1. ENGINEERED UNITS FOR PROCESSING AMARANTH IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES Professor Aubrey Sykes, Ph.D., P.E. Engineering Department Calvin College; Grand Rapids, MI ASykes@calvin.edu (c) 2011 Prof. J. Aubrey Sykes, Ph.D., P.E. Calvin College Engineering 1

  2. Calvin College A quick introductory orientation (c) 2011 Prof. J. Aubrey Sykes, Ph.D., P.E. Calvin College Engineering 2

  3. Calvin College – Origins 1857 Est’d by the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) in W. MI 1876 Calvin College and Seminary founded 1900 Education and pre-professional programs offered 1921 1st B. of Arts issued (c) 2011 Prof. J. Aubrey Sykes, Ph.D., P.E. Calvin College Engineering 3

  4. Calvin College - Characteristics • distinctively Christian • academically excellent • liberal arts college • shapes minds for intentional participation in the renewal of all things Aims to be • Profoundly Academic • Purposefully Renewing • A Spirited Community • Generating Promising Futures • A Remarkable Investment Engineering: 4000 Students, ~970 graduated annually ~370 Engineering Students, Graduating ~65/yr Concentrations: Chemical Civil (Structural and Hydrology) and Environmental Electrical (Analog, Power Systems) and Computer (Digital) Mechanical (Th. Systems, Machine Design, Vibrations) (c) 2011 Prof. J. Aubrey Sykes, Ph.D., P.E. Calvin College Engineering 4

  5. Amaranth comes to Calvin College (c) 2011 Prof. J. Aubrey Sykes, Ph.D., P.E. Calvin College Engineering 5

  6. Amaranth comes to Calvin CollegeMerging of Two Vectors Pigweeds: Amaranth A. Cruentus A. Hypochondriacus (A. Caudatus) Plainsman Developed since ~1976 by USDA, RIEF*, NGO’s, others Aubrey sees at RIEF ~1982 and meets experts *Rodale Institute Experimental Farm CRC –World Relief Committee in 2004 came to Calvin College Engineering for a design of a “seed cleaner” 2005 Grain Winnower 2007 Large Grain Popper 2008 Thresher 2009 Sm. Grain Popper-1 2011 Sm. Grain Popper-2 (c) 2011 Prof. J. Aubrey Sykes, Ph.D., P.E. Calvin College Engineering 6

  7. Amaranth Production Cycle for Developing Countries (c) 2011 Prof. J. Aubrey Sykes, Ph.D., P.E. Calvin College Engineering 7

  8. Standard Specifications for Amaranth Processers • Safe and transparent to unskilled, untrained operators, maintenance staff, transportation workers • Minimal complexity • Operated by about 2 women and/or pre-teen age boys (about 2 x 0.05 HP); efficient • Simplified construction; uses local shop capabilities • Easy maintainability – using local skills and parts • Pictographic Manuals for Operation and Maintenance • Transportable over rough “roads” • Low Cost – affordable within farmer’s economics (c) 2011 Prof. J. Aubrey Sykes, Ph.D., P.E. Calvin College Engineering 8

  9. Harvesting Cultivated Amaranth with a Machete

  10. Amaranth Threshing in Kenya (c) 2011 Prof. J. Aubrey Sykes, Ph.D., P.E. Calvin College Engineering 10

  11. Amaranth Post Threshing in Kenya (c) 2011 Prof. J. Aubrey Sykes, Ph.D., P.E. Calvin College Engineering 11

  12. Amaranth Seed Recovery After Threshing (c) 2011 Prof. J. Aubrey Sykes, Ph.D., P.E. Calvin College Engineering 12

  13. Concept Design for Amaranth Thresher (c) 2011 Prof. J. Aubrey Sykes, Ph.D., P.E. Calvin College Engineering 13

  14. Conceptual Amaranth Thresher • Some useful design ideas • Perforated metal to abrade grain heads and allow grain to fall through to collector • Threshed grain could be further threshed to process small, broken off heads • Requires ~3 Hp to operate = fueled engine, not people cranking or bicycling • Costly to construct; not easy to build and maintain (c) 2011 Prof. J. Aubrey Sykes, Ph.D., P.E. Calvin College Engineering 14

  15. Amaranth Grain Cleaner • Processes grain clusters and caps on grains • Hand crank powered (or pedal powered) • Light weight; easy for 2 women to relocate (c) 2011 Prof. J. Aubrey Sykes, Ph.D., P.E. Calvin College Engineering 15

  16. Amaranth Seed Cleaner (c) 2011 Prof. J. Aubrey Sykes, Ph.D., P.E. Calvin College Engineering 16

  17. Amaranth Grain Cleaner (c) 2011 Prof. J. Aubrey Sykes, Ph.D., P.E. Calvin College Engineering 17

  18. Amaranth Seed Cleaner in Mexico

  19. Amaranth Seed Cleaner • High grain recovery (92%) • Cleaning Quality = commercial quality • Confused for a thresher; people tried to charge whole heads! • Some wanted pedal powering • Moist amaranth will “gum up” in winnower (c) 2011 Prof. J. Aubrey Sykes, Ph.D., P.E. Calvin College Engineering 19

  20. Amaranth Grain Popper (c) 2011 Prof. J. Aubrey Sykes, Ph.D., P.E. Calvin College Engineering 20

  21. Amaranth Popped out to Clam Shell (c) 2011 Prof. J. Aubrey Sykes, Ph.D., P.E. Calvin College Engineering 21

  22. Amaranth Popping Machine (c) 2011 Prof. J. Aubrey Sykes, Ph.D., P.E. Calvin College Engineering 22

  23. Small Scale Amaranth Poppers • Goal = 2 to 5 lb/hr • Simple; easy to build, clean and maintain • Services either: • Nuclear Family Feeding (8 – 20 diners); or • Micro-business selling popped amaranth, “health” bars (amaranth with nuts, dried fruits, honey, molasses, etc.) (c) 2011 Prof. J. Aubrey Sykes, Ph.D., P.E. Calvin College Engineering 23

  24. Small Scale Amaranth Popper - 1

  25. Small Scale Amaranth Popper - 1 • Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7yT7B09l-M (c) 2011 Prof. J. Aubrey Sykes, Ph.D., P.E. Calvin College Engineering 25

  26. Small Scale Amaranth Popper - 1 • Pops ~5 lbm/hr • 50+% popped; mediocre quality • Thermal damage to blower system possible • High Energy Consumption (c) 2011 Prof. J. Aubrey Sykes, Ph.D., P.E. Calvin College Engineering 26

  27. Small Scale Amaranth Popper - 2 (c) 2011 Prof. J. Aubrey Sykes, Ph.D., P.E. Calvin College Engineering 27

  28. Small Scale Amaranth Popper - 2 • Important Design Features • Popping chamber is wire mesh to promote convection heating • Large chimney for sufficient airflow • Insulation for efficiency • Feed runs through inner chamber rod initially and then falls into mesh chamber • Tube propane burners for even heating (c) 2011 Prof. J. Aubrey Sykes, Ph.D., P.E. Calvin College Engineering 28

  29. Small Scale Amaranth Popper - 2 (c) 2011 Prof. J. Aubrey Sykes, Ph.D., P.E. Calvin College Engineering 29

  30. Small Scale Amaranth Popper - 2 • 5 lb/hr, with 2 parallel chambers • >80% popped • 240-250oC • 15 seconds inside oven • Propane-heated • Operated by one person • $40 of materials to build • Can be built and operated easily (c) 2011 Prof. J. Aubrey Sykes, Ph.D., P.E. Calvin College Engineering 30

  31. Popping Production Issues • Influence of fuel on health quality of amaranth • Possible fuels • Moisture management of feed amaranth • Field deployment (c) 2011 Prof. J. Aubrey Sykes, Ph.D., P.E. Calvin College Engineering 31

  32. Thank You • To about ~12 students, directly; many others indirectly • Calvin College administration, faculty and staff • Dick Dugger • David Brenner • ECHO, esp. Stan and Beth Doerr • CRC-WRC, esp. Tom Post and Hillcrest-CRC (Bob Beute) • Amaranth developers worldwide, especially • Katherine Lorenz • Peter Noll • Steve Lutz • Nyna Sykes, who hears about Amaranth nearly daily • Others, too numerous to remember and list (c) 2011 Prof. J. Aubrey Sykes, Ph.D., P.E. Calvin College Engineering 32

  33. ENGINEERED UNITS FOR PROCESSING AMARANTH IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES Thanks for listening! (c) 2011 Prof. J. Aubrey Sykes, Ph.D., P.E. Calvin College Engineering 33

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