DESIGN DEVELOPMENT AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF PSYLLIUM (ISPAGHOL) HUSK SEPARATOR CUM GRADER

Psyllium (Ispaghol) is an important therapeutic plant usually cultivated in several areas of Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Iran. Due to the medicinal qualities of Ispaghol seed husk, there are numerous uses of husk and its products for medical and industrial uses. The actual need of the Ispaghol crop is to attain its husk, which is the outermost skin of the seed and can be removed by mechanical grinding. Farmers in Pakistan have no mechanized post-harvest processing facility available for the Ispaghol crop. Conventional methods for husk separation are time-consuming and labour-intensive and also reduce husk quality and quantity. Husk separation from de-husked seed is a big challenge, therefore a machine has been developed and tested for its performance evaluation. This machine boosts the processing capability of Ispaghol more than manual techniques, which can process 160 kg of de-husked seed in 1 hour. The machine compared to manual can save 60-70% time and 50% labour cost. The performance of the machine was evaluated at three blower air speeds (8, 9 and 10 m/s) and three drum speeds (80, 110 and 140 rpm). The machine performed better at the drum speed of 110 rpm and blower air speed of 9 m/s, the husk separation was quantified to be 98 % and also the obtained husk was free of core and other impurities and provided dust-free and healthy surroundings. Commercialization of such machinery is the need of the hour to enhance productivity and maintain quality, resulting in increasing exports and contributing to a better economy.