Volume- 3
Issue- 3
Year- 2016
Odero Shadrack O. , Eng. Dr. Mbuge D. Onyango , Emmanuel K. Mutai , Mutuli Gibson Peter
Major maize grain losses have been experienced in various parts of the World as a result of infection by aflatoxin producing moulds called Aspergillus flavus. Aflatoxin infection is caused by high temperature, high relative humidity of the surrounding air and high moisture content of the grain as a result of ineffective drying of maize. Aflatoxin infection leads to losses of human lives from consumption of contaminated as well as loss of animals. Most farmers depend on direct sunlight drying. This research aimed to determine the effectiveness of Super Absorbent Polymers in air drying by studying some of its basic properties in air drying in order to find out its suitability to curb these problems of aflatoxin infection in maize grain. In particular, this project explored the possibility of using super absorbent polymers to predry air to be used in drying grain. Dry desiccant drying reduces the use of electricity and fossil fuels and promotes the viability of seed that are sensitive to high temperatures. In an experiment set up to dry maize grains using desiccated air using super adsorbent polymer (SAP), a single layer of the Super Absorbent Polymer effectively dried flowing air between 20°C and 60°C with an optimum drying temperature of 23°C and reduced relative humidity of air by approximately 8% at 80% relative humidity at room temperature. Moisture absorption rate of SAP was found to increase with increase in air velocity and relative humidity with an optimum absorption at 0.5m/s and 100% relative humidity.
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Department of Environmental and Biosystems Engineering, University of Nairobi, School of Engineering, P.O Box 30197-00100, Nairobi, Kenya,
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