Design Analysis and Fabrication of Banana Waste Shredder

Banana, a major fruit crop of Pakistan, is grown on 34,800 hectares with a production of 154,800 tons annually. Soil and climatic conditions are favorable in Sindh for its successful cultivation so the total share of Sindh province alone in its cultivation, in comparison with other provinces, is 87%

Project Title

Design Analysis and Fabrication of Banana Waste Shredder

Project Area of Specialization

Mechanical Engineering

Project Summary

Banana, a major fruit crop of Pakistan, is grown on 34,800 hectares with a production of 154,800 tons annually. Soil and climatic conditions are favorable in Sindh for its successful cultivation so the total share of Sindh province alone in its cultivation, in comparison with other provinces, is 87%. Banana is a softwood tree, with a long fiber wood pulp, that matures in eight to nine months to flower. Each stem only produces flowers and fruits once, so the active stem must be cut away to allow new suckers to emerge which will become banana trees over a period. After harvesting bananas, pseudostems and leaves start rotting so farmers cut them off. After this, farmers either throw away stems for natural decomposition, which takes too much time to complete which results in heavy bacterial activity, bad smell, and land pollution, or burn them out irresponsibly which is the cause of environmental pollution and wastage of useful resources. Banana pseudostem can be utilized for its fiber and organic fertilizer can be made. Therefore, this project is about designing and fabricating a ‘Shredder’ machine that will make small pieces of the banana stem so that through the process of composting, it can be converted into useful organic fertilizer. The 3D model is to be developed using Solidworks, as shown in figure 01. In this way, the farmer will be benefitted economically by not wasting money on inorganic chemical fertilizers and the soil of his land will be enriched with the organic content. Moreover, the economy and ecology of Pakistan will go hand in hand. The final product will be a machine, as shown in figure 02, having a low cost as compared to the imported shredders. The banana waste shredder is a modified form of the traditional chaff cutter locally available, as shown in figure 03, used for cutting harvested crops into small pieces, of approximately 0.5 to 2 inches in length, for cattle feed. This model will be powered by a gasoline IC (internal combustion) engine. Power will be transmitted through the belt and pulley mechanism These pieces will be converted into vermicompost or other kinds of organic fertilizers or for livestock feed. This model will be much safer than the traditional chaff cutter and friendly to the farmers economically and environmentally.

Figure 01: 3D Model of Banana Shredder  

Figure 02: Banana Waste Shredder

Figure 03: Traditional Chaff Cutter

Project Objectives

• To develop a CAD model based on the Conceptual model of the Banana shredder parts.
• To develop complete assembly of banana shredder by assembling individual parts, CAD geometry, using Solidworks software.
• To carry out design analysis and simulation on the 3D model.
• To fabricate the Banana Shredder physically on the basis of the CAD assembly Model.
• To select a suitable IC engine, as the prime mover to drive banana shredder and controller for controlling and regulating the cutting size of the stem.
• To perform Banana waste shredding on the developed machine for analyzing its performance.
• To have the indigenous products at low cost.
• To help farmers save their time and money by utilizing shredder and having their land enriched with organic content.
• To get economic and ecological benefits altogether by converting banana pseudostem into organic fertilizer.

Project Implementation Method

The implementation will be carried out in five steps. Starting with the first step, a literature review on banana waste, its composition, and its effects on the environment will be done. Based on the review, the problem statement will be defined and a sustainable and environmentally friendly solution will be proposed. The details of the banana waste and the previously available shredder will be reviewed by going through the research articles available on the internet regarding the conversion of the disposed waste of banana trees into useful resources and the equipment that may help achieve this. The second step of design methodology will be followed for the development of the project. Design calculations and standard assumptions will be made after referring to the previous work on the waste shredder. Using Solid Works, the 3D CAD model will be developed from the conceptualized model. Dimensions and material for the shredder will be determined. Individually designed parts will be assembled into a single assembly and analysis of the 3D model will be done with the help of motion simulation. The 2D drawings of the designed parts will be developed leading to the third step of fabrication. The local market will be touched for the available resources required for fabrication and their costs will be inquired. The cost for the fabrication of all parts will be estimated. A deep insight will be provided into the manufacturing processes involved in the fabrication of each part Individual parts will be fabricated first and then all the parts will be assembled. Safety standards will be kept in mind during the steps of design and fabrication to make the model a better version of conventional cutters such as the chaff cutter. The fourth step includes the selection of the prime mover and the controller. The prime mover will be an IC Engine and a controller will be selected to regulate the chopped size of the banana waste stem. In the last stage, the final product will be tested experimentally, and the verification of the design will be done based on the results. Finally, a report will be written about the final product and will be submitted.

Benefits of the Project

The proposed model will give many benefits to the agricultural sector, environment, manufacturing industries, and education sector. Some of the benefits are listed below:

1. Agriculture and Environment:

• It is a forward step in promoting technologies in agriculture in Pakistan.
• It will solve the problem of waste, from the harvesting, dumped in the environment and there will be no need to burn the waste which in a way benefits the environment.
• By utilizing the shredder, we will be achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) set by the UN.
• The farmer can use the shredder to make cattle feed out the waste and sell it in order to earn money.
• The farmer can sell the fertilizer and earn some money.
• It is a way of getting rid of chemical fertilizers.
• By using organic fertilizer, the quality and the quantity of the food will increase, and farmers’ land will have high organic content to save Pakistan’s land from desertification.
• By using organic fertilizer, the farmer can achieve organic content in his land which is necessary for a land to be called fertile land.
• By using this machine, farmers can produce organic fertilizer (vermicomposting or simply compost) for their land.

   

1. Manufacturing Industries:

• It will create more employment opportunities in the manufacturing sector.
• Industries will set up in order to create more products like this model or better than this.
• It is an indigenous product, so it is not so expensive as compared to the imported ones.

1. Education:

• It will create more opportunities in the field of education, designing, and research in our country.
• Research work will be conducted to create a better design and model in our country.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

The final product is the modified form of the traditional chaff cutter with a cover casing for safety purposes. It is operated by the gasoline IC Engine which transmits power by using a belt drive mechanism. The engine will rotate the shaft of the pinion pulley. The main pulley will rotate along with its shaft, connected with the blades. Blades will be situated inside the casing of the machine, rotating at high speed, and will cut the pseudostem into smaller pieces. There is a controller by which the size of the product (banana waste) can be altered according to the need. It is equipment that shreds the Banana waste into the required size and further process of vermicomposting is needed in order to have organic fertilizer. It is safer than the traditional chaff cutter. It is a better shredding machine that has a low cost and provides ease to the farmer economically. This model is not harmful to the environment and meets the Sustainable Development Goals.

Final Deliverable of the Project

HW/SW integrated system

Core Industry

Agriculture

Other Industries

Education , Food , Manufacturing , Health

Core Technology

Clean Tech

Other Technologies

Sustainable Development Goals

No Poverty, Zero Hunger, Good Health and Well-Being for People, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Climate Action, Life Below Water, Life on Land

Required Resources

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