Fabrication of a Portable Groundnut Decorticating Machine for Domestic Purpose

Abstract: Groundnut is one of the important oil seed crops cultivated in India. India ranks first in groundnut area under cultivation and is the second largest producer in the world with 101 lakh tones with productivity of 1863 kg per hectare in 2021-22. Groundnut cultivation in India is done by small-scale farmersand is the predominant dryland crop. In the beginning, thepeanuts were separated from their shells by the workers and theoutput from this method was much less and could not satisfy themarket demand as it was a very time-consuming process. It is atime-consuming and tedious operation. Hence, a portablegroundnut decorticating machine is designed and fabricatedwhich is small in size, easy to carry anywhere, and very easy tooperate (at any time). This is more useful for domestic purposessuch as households, hotels, and restaurants. This paper describesabout the design and fabrication of various components of a hand-operated groundnut decorticator. Small farmers or businessmencan start businesses by investing less capital. The output is about40-42 kg/hour, shelling time taken 1.5 min/kg, and with a highcost-benefit ratio of 1:28.6. The machine is also lightweight and easy to operate and maintain, the spare parts are also availablelocally. Maintenance is very easy, purchase cost is low, and highlyeconomical in use. No electric power or diesel or skill knowledgeis required. The shelling operation can be done by women at anytime by accommodating in the house itself. Small and marginalfarmers can use regular shelling for the sowing of groundnut.This is a convenient equipment and can be used at any time(during day time or night time) based on their convenience. Notmuch labor is required and one person can manage thedecortication process it is cost effective also.