Determination Of Optimal Angle Of Projection And Separation Of Palm Nut Shell And Kernel Using A Designed CrackerSeparator Machine

Abstract Efficient separation of cracked palm nut shell from kernel has been an age long industrial problem. To a large extent this has hindered the production of palm kernel in large quantities to satisfy the yearnings of agro allied processing and manufacturing industries. Experiments were performed on cracking and separation of palm kernel from the shell by angular projection method and effect of projection angle on efficiency of separation investigated. This was carried out using a designed cracker-separator machine with a casing where cracking and projection are achieved with the aid of several blades. Varied angles of projection between 0-550 were tested and corresponding values recorded. Analysis of data generated showed 11oto be the best angle of projection to which 87 separation efficiency was achieved. This result is expected to aid small scale processors meet the demand of palm kernel processing in developing economies.