Desenvolvimento de um equipamento para a secagem de noz-pecã

Abstract

Studies and new technologies on the agriculture scenario have been contributing to Brazil to become one of the main food exporters. The pecan nut is one of the many exported products, in which economic interest is growing. With the aim to reach good quality, it needs to be dry. The goal of this research is to develop equipment able to mechanically dry 25 tons of pecans in 30 days. The equipment is designed to dry one ton per batch. Tests performed at the Food Laboratory of University of Caxias do Sul and analysis based on previous studies estimated values of the drying equipment. The time required to drop about 20% of pecan humidity and reach the desirable value of 6% was 15 hours. Based on that information, a fixed layer drier was designed to provide heated air into the stationary layer of nuts. The equipment cost was defined in R$ 11,600.00 plus the fuel cost of R$ 2,000.00/crop. Eucalyptus was used as fuel, and the pecan wood from the pruning was evaluated as a cheaper alternative. The drier proved to be a convenient tool for the production and commercialization of nuts, especially for the small rural producer, with low cost and simple execution.(sic)