Burner-dryer using farm wastes for fuel developed

With the proverbial patience of Job, Emmanuel Alkuino Sr. of Valencia City (Bukidnon) has developed and perfected a mechanical device that can gasify farm wastes to generate heat energy needed to dry grains.

His scientific work began 21 years ago when he conceptualized his gasifier-burner.

Since three years ago when the device was put to actual commercial production, farmers and processors have been using it to boost their drying capabilities.

Capping Alkuino’s "labor of love" was the first prize which his creation won in this year’s Search for Outstanding Research and Development in Industry and Energy sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Industry and Energy Research and Development (DOST-PCIERD).

An alumnus of the University of the Philippines Los Baños, Alkuino received the award from Executive Secretary Alberto Romulo and PCIERD Executive Director Dr. Graciano Yumul at a program last March 26 marking the celebration of PCIERD’s 20th anniversary.

When the multi-awarded inventor set to develop what he has now called Sidlakan Burner-Dryer, he was challenged by such problems as the absence of appropriate drying technology to tackle the country’s postharvest problems; and the prohibitive cost of heat energy needed to dry grains.

His objectives, therefore, were to design and manufacture a burner-gasifier that can gasify farm wastes (rice hull, corn cobs, sawdusts, coconut husks/shells); is adaptable to existing mechanical dryers; is easy to operate, maintain and repair; and is affordable.

Alkuino did not have to look far to be convinced that the major deterrent to Filipino farmers’ productivity lies in postharvest problems.

He cited Bukidnon which has been a consistent top producer of corn over the past five years. In fact, Bukidnon and four neighboring provinces (Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, North Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat) produce about 60 percent of the country’s corn yields.

But the farmers have remained marginalized.

Based on the 1997 statistics compiled by the Department of Agriculture, Bukidnon produced 554,000 tons of corn that year.

Using a very conservative estimate of 15-percent loss (at times postharvest losses reach 25 percent), losses during the 1997 crop season reached a staggering 83,100 tons. Using the National Food Authority (NFA) support price of P6 per kilo, Bukidnon farmers lost no less than P498 million during that season.

"At the national level, we find that the picture is about the same," the one-time Bukidnon provincial board member said.

Projecting the issue in a broader perspective, Alkuino pointed out that in 1997, the Philippines imported 1.82 million tons of corn valued at P10.94 billion.

Over the same period, total losses due to spoilage was estimated at 2.378 million tons valued at P14.27 billion.

"Actually," he explained, "our total loss was the sum of our importation (P10.94 billion) and our spoilage (P14.27 billion), which is P25.21 billion."

He further averred: "The lesson is clear. Had we been able to reduce if not eliminate spoilage at harvest by employing mechanical drying, we would have increased our farmers’ profit and avoided importation."

Paradoxically, Alkuino emphasized, Philippine farms abound with biomass waste such as rice hull and corn cobs that can be gasified to provide cheap energy for drying grains.

Observations at the Jireh Industries in Valencia City which he heads indicate that only 10 to 20 percent of the wastes are needed to dry the batch of crop from which these wastes were taken.

For example, 10 tons of corn-on-the cob (batch) would yield 2,000 kilograms (20 percent) corn cobs. As per data of the UPLB-based Agricultural Machinery Testing and Evaluation Center (AMTEC), only 340 kg (17 percent of all corn cobs) are needed to dry 10 tons of corn.

On the average, Alkuino further said, farm wastes can generate heat energy that costs a mere one-tenth that of the same amount of energy using petroleum as fuel.

Two years ago (July 21, 2000), an AMTEC team visited the Jireh Industries plant site in Valencia City to scientifically evaluate his Sidlakan Burner coupled to a Sidlakan Dryer.

During the test, a batch of newly harvested corn weighing 5,814 kg, with an initial moisture content of 32.5 percent, was dried using corn cobs as fuel.

The corn was dried to final moisture content of 13.7 percent in six hours. One hour was added for cooling-off, making a total drying time of seven hours.

The rate of dried corn cobs consumption was 32.9 kg per hour or 198 kg in six hours.

"Extrapolated to 10-ton capacity, in order to attain ease in analysis, this rate of consumption will be 340 kg corn cobs per 10-ton batch of grains to be dried,"Alkuino said,

Summing up, Alkuino said:

"It is a firm conclusion of this study that gasifying farm wastes for drying palay and corn is a proven fact and should be pursued and implemented by all sectors concerned with utmost dispatch. Saving crop losses owing to spoilage is a long-overdue concern. So much has already been lost and both farmers and government are growing more and more apprehensive. Investing in this direction on the part of the private and public sectors will surely bring about overwhelming dividends both to our farmers and our country."