20th September
I started taking LOD (Loss on Drying) readings for the 14 Trees Foundations supplied samples. From 26 total samples (13 grasses and 13 herbs), I finished the readings for 16 samples.
21st September
I made the rest of the 10 LOD readings of the given by 14 trees Foundation.
26th September
I began my dome dryer experiment using the materials sent by the 14 Trees Foundation. Following consultations with Prasad Sir, I filled the dryer gently in order to start the operation.
29th September
I also began measuring the dome dryer trials in progress as an additional parameter, Solar Illuminance, following consultation with Prasad Sir.
30th September
I finished measuring the dome dryer pilot test outcomes and, at the same time, researched parameters concerning potential chemical treatments for onion storage.
1st October
I worked on ozone treatment for the storage of onions, going through the recommendations of the government. It is indicated in the guidelines that an onion chal should be stuffed with only 5–6 layers with onions, which generally translates into 40–45 kg under pressure. Nevertheless, for the best storage and minimized losses, the limit should only be 20–25 kg at best. then I informed the trials updates to Yogita Ma’am of the 14 Trees Organization about the ongoing trials.
3rd October
In the evening, I measured the final weight of the samples provided by the 14 Trees Foundation. The results showed an overall drying of 70%, with the weight reducing from 8.595 kg to 2.515 kg.
The final report in the Excel is given below-
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11jxKdvepP5IyXq9wdFWpSPLmL9xyeP72Lr8SrVv8PyE/edit?usp=sharing
8th October
Calculated the final moisture loss and drying efficiency of the 14 Trees Foundation samples based on previous measurements.
9th October
Discussed the results and drying observations with Yogita Ma’am from 14 Trees Foundation to ensure data accuracy and to plan the next phase of testing.
Trial of Subabul in the Inclined Dryer
17th October
In the discussion, Yogita ma’am told me about their tentative date for the next sample for the second trial.
But due to the holiday of Diwali, there is no availability for manpower to load and measure the data daily. It took nearly 1 and a half hours to measure daily and to load more than 3 hours with 5 people, except the LOD calculations for 70 samples nearly 1-2 days.
So the trial will be after the Diwali festival. However, we don’t have the data for the inclined dryer. For that, I prepared the subabul trial on it with 160g in each tray; likewise, it has 39 trays, so it contains 6240g of subabul leaves. i place the sample tray on tree trays of each section. It has 4 sections means 12 trays total. One is on the upside, downside, and one is in the middle holding 30g on each sample of 1 square foot.
The placement of the date logger is in the middle of the drying zone on trays 1(DIC-5) and 4. (dryer 3)
The losses of the subabul leaves are as follows –
