ADAPTATION OF IMPACT HAMMER MILL FOR CRUSHING COCOA PODS HUSK AS A LIVESTOCK FEED CONSTITUENT

Authors

  • T. A. Morakinyo Department of Food Science and Technology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Nigeria. Author
  • B. S. Ogunsina Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Nigeria. Author
  • A. A. Adebayo Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, Nigeria. Author

Keywords:

Cocoa pod husk, hammer mill, crushing, beaters, heat-treated high carbon steel, livestock feed

Abstract

Dried Cocoa Pod Husks (CPH) have been identified as a substitute for maize in livestock feeds production.
Conventional hammer mills in which beaters are made of low carbon steel does not provide sufficient
impact force to crush dried cocoa pod husks (CPH). The impact hammer mill was adapted for this purpose
using locally available materials. Beaters were made of heat-treated high carbon-steel to resist abrasion,
distortion and improve overall performance. Crushing efficiency, percentage losses and throughput of the
machine were 98.99%, 1% and 239.09 kg/h respectively and it costs One thousand and twenty US Dollars
fifty cents only (USD1020.50) to fabricate the machine one-off. This work is a step further in cocoa
processing; CPH having hitherto constituted a waste in the industry. It promises additional revenue for
primary processors of cocoa especially in tropical Africa where the bulk of world cocoa is produced.

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Published

2025-05-10

Issue

Vol. 22 No. 3 (2014): JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (JAET)

Section

Articles