Development and Performance Evaluation of a Submersible Rotary Drum Washer for Ginger Rhizomes

Abstract

Washing is an important primary unit operation in handling of fresh root crops, particularly delicate rhizomes like ginger. Proper cleaning after harvest is essential before further processing or marketing contributing to the value addition at the farm level. Small scale farmers, however, lacks affordable and efficient washing equipment This study was done to design, fabricate, and evaluate the performance of a submersible rotary drum washer. The performance of the washer was evaluated in terms of machine capacity, washing efficiency, machine efficiency, and mechanical damage on cleaned ginger rhizomes. Loading weights (5 kg, 10 kg, 15 kg) and operating speeds (16 rpm and 28 rpm), and retention time (4 minutes) per cycle were used as the performance parameters. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) for factorial experiment in Complete randomized Design (CRD) was used to analyze the results while comparison among treatment means was tested at 5% level of significance using Duncan’s Multiple Range Test (DMRT). Results revealed that an operating speed of 16 rpm, loading weight of 15 kg achieved maximum mechanical washing efficiency (93.11%), maximum machine efficiency (94.28%), and lowest mechanical damage (0.52%) on cleaned ginger rhizomes. The machine capacity is 172.42 kg/hr. The initial investment in fabricating the submersible rotary drum washer for ginger rhizomes was ₱43,630. The washers’ break-even weight is 64,815.43 kg of ginger rhizomes per year at a custom rate of ₱0.77/kg.