Vol. 12, Special Issue 12 (2023)

Author(s):
Srinidhi G, Sushilendra, Sunil Shirwal, Vijayakumar Palled and GS Yadahalli

Abstract:
Cotton is a significant economic crop in India, and within the country, Karnataka is the ninth most prominent state for cotton cultivation. It boasts a total cultivable land of 5.46 lakh hectare and a production potential of 29%. However, the production of cotton stalk per hectare is a staggering 10,000 kg, which is often considered a waste product and burned. Unfortunately, such burning leads to various health problems and global warming. To tackle this issue of agricultural waste management, the cotton stalk shredder was evaluated in laboratory conditions. The parameters were optimized under laboratory conditions, including the number of blades (2, 3, and 6), feed rate (152, 193, and 220 kg h^-1), and peripheral speed (34.88, 38.75, and 42.63 m s-1). The evaluation was based on the length of cut, power requirement, and specific shredding energy. Ultimately, it was determined that the optimal configuration for shredding cotton stalk was six blades, a feed rate of 152 kg h^-1, and a peripheral speed of 34.88 m s-1. The resulting length of cut, power requirement, and specific shredding energy were 28 mm, 3.82 kW, and 0.164 MJ kg^-1, respectively.