Research Papers/Topics in Agricultural And Bioresources Engineering

Hydrological Update of the Watershed Resources Management Model and Gis-Based Application to the Humid Tropical Environment of South-East Nigeria

Abstract Hydrological models are useful tools for prediction and understanding of hydrological phenomena which underpin watershed resources utilization. A watershed model simulates hydrological processes in a more holistic manner across the entire watershed area. Most watershed models are fairly complex; interactions among watershed hydrological components are essentially nonlinear and take place on a wide range of temporal and spatial scales. The Watershed Resources Management (WRM) model w...

Development and Performance Evaluation of a Double-Rotor Self-Action Cassava Grater

ABSTRACT The modification of a single-rotor cassava grater was undertaken. The singlerotor grater was modified into a double-rotor self-action grater and its performances evaluated by determining its throughput capacity and efficiency. The throughput capacity was determined by grating known quantities of cassava roots in three respective runs and the time taken to grate them measured from a stop watch. The efficiency of the machine was calculated from the quantity of roots grated and quantit...

Bioremediation of Hydrocarbon Contaminated Soil using Selected Organic Wastes

ABSTRACT Contamination of existing and potential agricultural lands is a major problem associated with the processing and distribution of crude and refined petroleum products in many oil producing countries like Nigeria. Hydrocarbon contaminants in soil are potentially phytotoxic to plants and interfere with plant establishment and growth as well as other land uses. The problems of pollution have led to the exploration of many remedial approaches to effect the clean-up of the polluted soils....

Use of the Swat Model to Evaluate the Impact of Land-Use Change on Ebonyi River Watershed

ABSTRACT SWAT was applied a large watershed (3,765km2 ) in south-eastern Nigeria, to predict streamflow and sediment discharge from the Ebonyi River Watershed using globally available data downloaded from the internet. Digital elevation, land-use and soil maps of the study area from global databases and historical weather data measured locally were used. SWAT model was setup to use the MapWindow GIS interface. The model predicted an average daily streamflow and sediment discharge of 24.32m3 ...

Development of a Model for Thin Layer Solar Drying of Salted Fish Fillets

Abstract A batch type direct passive solar dryer was designed and fabricated to dry salted tilapia fish fillets. The dryer has a capacity a capacity of 1500g/batch. The tilapia fish species were obtained from Domita Farms Nig. Ltd,.Uyo, Akwa Ibom State and transported immediately to Nsukka in a cold storage container. The salted fish fillet was prepared to conform to thin layer drying specification of 3.0mm-5.0mm thickness before drying. The solar drying experiments were conducted at the Depa...

Static Analysis and Design of Laterized Concrete Cylindrical Shells for Farm Storages

ABSTRACT As the prices of building materials in the country continue to increase sharply, there is growing need to source local materials as alternative for farm building constructions. This project investigates the performance of a cylindrical shell built of laterized concrete for storage of foodgrains or water. L In order to optimize the mix ratio of the constituent materials that will produce maximum strength, a mathematical model which relates the strength of laterized concrete and its co...

Performance Evaluation of a Solar Powered Poultry Egg Incubator

Abstract The utilization of solar incubator would proffers solution to a major constraint of power inadequacy for commercial poultry egg incubation in Nigeria. A solar powered poultry egg incubator was developed and the main components included incubating chamber, control system and solar powered system. The developed solar incubator was 610 mm × 607 mm × 1649 mm in size with a capacity for 150 eggs. This study conducted performance evaluation on the solar powered poultry egg incuba...

Determination of Physical Properties of Afzelia Africana Seeds

Abstract Selected physical properties of Afzelia africanaseeds were determined at four moisture levels: 10.60%, 12.80%, 15.20% and 18.40% wet basis (w.b). The seeds were categorized in three batches according to their weights: Batch I (2g Batch III (3.99spectively. Arithmetic and geometric mean diameters, sphericity and projected area ranged from 13.5700.43-15.8230.41mm, 12.2450.33-14.4300.39mm, 57.800.07-75.600.03% and 186.21828.42-256.03712.98mmrespectively. Unit mass, unit volume, aspec...

Determination Of The Hydraulic Conductivity And Infiltration Capacity Of The Fedral Unversity Of Technology Owerri (Futo) Farm

ABSTRACT This thesis describes the in situ methods of the determination of both the hydraulic conductivity and infiltration capacity of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) farm soil. The inverse anger hole method was chosen to determine the hydraulic conductivity due to its simplicity and effectiveness. Cognizance was taken of the factors as presented in the project report that affect the results determined. Also the various methods of determining the two parameters were revi...

Effects Of Different Binders On The Physical And Combustion Properties Of Dried Leaves Briquettes

ABSTRACT Biomass Briquetting can address waste problems, reduce air pollution from direct open air burning and also reduce dependence on fossil fuels for heat generation. Dry leaves have been shown to have high calorific values; therefore the purpose of this study is to determine the effects of some binders on the physical and combustion properties of dried leaves briquettes. Dried leaves were mixed with binders such as clay, starch and Arabic gum separately at different ratios of 10%, 20%, ...

Development Of An Appropriate Biomass Briquetting Machine For Use In Rural Communities

ABSTRACT Biomass is naturally abundant in rural communities but is generally considered to be a waste in most developing countries of the world where it is used inefficiently in its traditional form. The effective utilization of these materials offers many advantages among which is a renewable and sustainable energy feedstock for the production of solid fuel – briquettes - for heating applications. Attempts have been made in developing machines for commercial briquetting of biomass in deve...

Static Analysis And Design Of Laterized Concrete Cylindrical Shells For Farm Storages

ABSTRACT As the prices of building materials in the country continue to increase sharply, there is growing need to source local materials as alternative for farm building constructions. This project investigates the performance of a cylindrical shell built of laterized concrete for storage of foodgrains or water. L In order to optimize the mix ratio of the constituent materials that will produce maximum strength, a mathematical model which relates the strength of laterized concrete and its ...

Hydrological Update Of The Watershed Resources Management Model And Gis-Based Application To The Humid Tropical Environment Of South-East Nigeria

Abstract Hydrological models are useful tools for prediction and understanding of hydrological phenomena which underpin watershed resources utilization. A watershed model simulates hydrological processes in a more holistic manner across the entire watershed area. Most watershed models are fairly complex; interactions among watershed hydrological components are essentially nonlinear and take place on a wide range of temporal and spatial scales. The Watershed Resources Management (WRM) model w...

Optimization Of Tomato Water Productivity Under Deficit Sub-Surface Drip Irrigation And Mulching Systems

ABSTRACT The greatest challenge in the agriculture is to produce more food with low quantity of water. The challenge facing tomato farmers in Njoro Sub - County is the unfavourable conditions for tomato growth which includes very low rainfall during the seasonal dry periods. However, there is limited information on optimum water management practices, or deficit irrigation that would increase tomato crop yield and additionally improve the tomato quality when drip irrigation is used. The objec...


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