See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/340137327

Experimental investigation of solar bubble dryer for rough rice drying in

Bangladesh

Article · January 2020

DOI: 10.18801/jbar.230220.236

CITATIONS READS

5 1,111

6 authors, including:

Md. Ashraful Alam Chayan Kumer Saha

Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council Bangladesh Agricultural University
37 PUBLICATIONS 99 CITATIONS 160 PUBLICATIONS 1,106 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Mahedi Hasan Md. Mamunur Rashid

Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute Bangladesh Rice Research Institute
18 PUBLICATIONS 22 CITATIONS 19 PUBLICATIONS 44 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

All content following this page was uploaded by Md. Ashraful Alam on 25 March 2020.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

Alam et al. (2020) / J. Biosci. Agric. Res. 23(02): 1920-1930 https://doi.org/10.18801/jbar.230220.236

Published with Open Access at Journal BiNET

Vol. 23, Issue 02: 1920-1930
Journal of Bioscience and Agriculture Research

Journal Home: www.journalbinet.com/jbar-journal.html

Experimental investigation of solar bubble dryer for rough rice

drying in Bangladesh
Md. Ashraful Alam1, Chayan Kumer Saha2, Md. Monjurul Alam2, Mohammad Rezaul
Manir1, Mahedi Hasan3 and Md. Mamunur Rashid1
1 Farm Machinery and Post Harvest Technology Division, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, Gazipur,
2 Dept.of Farm Power and Machinery, Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), Mymensingh,
3 Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Gazipur, Bangladesh

✉ For any information: [email protected] (Alam MA)

Article received: 30.01.2020; Revised: 17.02.2020; First published online: 15 March 2020.

ABSTRACT

Drying is important for long term storage, maintaining quality and reducing drying loss of rough
rice. Solar bubble (SB) dryer was tested at the Department of Farm Power & Machinery,
Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh during Boro and Aman 2015 harvesting seasons
to understand the effectiveness and potentiality of the dryer at farmers’ level as an alternative to
open sun drying. SB experiment shows that the temperature was distributed uniformly throughout
the dryer which was very much dependent on solar radiation. The hourly moisture removal rate
was 0.6 and 0.4 % during Boro and Aman season, respectively. The drying efficiency was found 25.2
and 12.3% during Boro and Aman season, respectively. The milling recovery was found 71.5±1.0%
for SB dryer and 72.3±1.3% for sundried rough rice. Head rice yield of rough rice was lower
(53.6%) in SB dried product compared to sun drying method (63.9%). The germination rate was
more than 80% in both seasons for SB dryer and sundried method, respectively. The operating cost
of drying was observed Tk. 1.48 per kg. The SB dryer can be applicable for drying rough rice at
farm level in Bangladesh.

Keywords: Solar bubble dryer, Drying rate, Drying efficiency and Rough rice

Cite Article: Alam, M. A., Saha, C. K., Alam, M. M., Manir, M. R., Hasan, M. and Rashid, M. M. (2020).
Experimental investigation of solar bubble dryer for rough rice drying in Bangladesh. Journal of
Bioscience and Agriculture Research, 23(02), 1920-1930.
Crossref: https://doi.org/10.18801/jbar.230220.236

Article distributed under terms of a Creative Common Attribution 4.0 International License.

I. Introduction
Bangladesh is an agricultural country where agriculture donates 16.33 % of the GDP to the Bangladesh
economy. About 61 % of the total agricultural area and 75 % of the cropped area is covered by rice in
Bangladesh. Rice farming is the main source of income and employment of the agricultural people.
The average yield of rice under irrigation conditions is 2.81 tons per ha which are low compared to the
average yields obtained in other countries with similar agro-climatic conditions (Majumder et al.,
2016). Post-harvest loss reduction can play a vital role in national food security in Bangladesh as well

1920
Published with open access at journalbinet.com
EISSN: 2312-7945, © 2020 The Authors, Research paper
Experimental investigation of solar bubble dryer for rough rice drying

as in the world. The post-harvest system consists of a set of operations that cover the period from
harvest through to consumption. An effective post-harvest process aims to minimize post-harvest
losses and maintain the quality of the crop until it reaches the consumer. Food security and income
increase with the reduction of food losses. From a socio-economic point of view, the implementation of
an efficient post-harvest system in any community must provide equitable benefit to all those involved
in the system (Grolleaud, 2001). Post-harvest loss occurs at every stage in rice production supply
chains like harvesting, threshing and cleaning, drying, storage, processing/milling, marketing and
consumer level. Dying is the process that reduces the grain moisture content to a level where it's safe
for storage and milling. It's the foremost critical operation in post-harvest process after harvesting a
rice crop. At harvest, rough rice grain contains moisture content between 20 to 25% (wb). Rough
rice features a high respiration rate and is vulnerable to attacks by micro-organisms, insects and other
pests. At high grain moisture contents, there's natural respiration within the grain that causes
deterioration of the rice. High moisture promotes the event of insects and molds that are harmful to
the grain. High moisture in grain additionally lowers the germination rate of rice. Therefore, the drying
of rice is critical to stop insect infestation and quality deterioration of rice grain and seed. Harvested
grain with high moisture content must be dried within 24 hours to 12% for safe storage and
germination (IRRI, 2013).

The drying of agricultural products in Bangladesh is normally carried out by the traditional sun drying
method. It is a traditional practice where rough rice is exposed to sun and wind in the yard or field.
The radiation heats the grains also because of the surrounding air and thus increases the speed of
water evaporating from the grains. However, there is no control over the drying rate. Open sun
drying may be a well-known food preservation technique and offers an inexpensive and straight
forward method of drying. The drying rate is very slow and often results in poor interior quality due to
dependence on weather conditions. Climate change makes weather very unpredictable and
unexpected rainfall may result in delayed drying, re-wetted grains and quality deterioration. This
leads to damage that reduces the quality and market value of rough rice. Improper or delayed drying
leads to a loss in grain quality, in addition to the estimated 14% loss from cutting through storage
(Bala et al., 2010). For reducing post-harvest losses especially in drying operation and increasing
quality of storage rough rice, it's necessary to adapt low cost rough rice drying technology at
farmers and little trader’s level in Bangladesh. Solar bubble (SB) dryer is used in other developing
countries. It would be effective rough rice drying technology alternative to traditional sun drying.
Therefore, the objective of the research was to investigate the technical and financial performance of
the solar bubble (SB) dryer in drying rough rice.

II. Materials and Methods

Experimental site
The performance evaluation of SB dryer was conducted at the workshop of Department of Farm
Power and Machinery, Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), Mymensingh during Boro (April to
June, 2015) and Aman (October to December, 2015) harvesting season in order to understand the
effectiveness and potentiality of using dryer at farmers’ level as an alternative to sun drying.

Description of solar bubble dryer

The Solar Bubble (SB) dryer is the new drying technology with a drying floor, solar panel and 12 volt
battery (Figure 01). The SB dryer is mobile and completely independent from fuel or the power grid. It
comes in different sizes and 1t batch capacity. The SB dryer uses energy from the sun in two ways.
First the drying tunnel may be a solar collector to convert the energy contained among the sun rays
getting into the clear prime of the drying tunnel to heat, that magnified the temperature of the drying
air for quicker drying. Second it is equipped with a photovoltaic system consisting of a solar array, a
deep cycle rechargeable battery and a controller to get electricity that drives a little blower to
maneuver hot air through the drying tunnel, inflate the tunnel, and take away the water evaporated
from the grains placed inside the tunnel. A simple roller dragged on ropes hooked up to the ends
beneath the tunnel is employed for admixture the grains while not the necessity to open the tunnel. A
rake for internal mixing is also available. Moisture content measuring meter, temperature reader,
humidity measuring meter, solarimeter and air flow meter are used as additional accessories for
drying operation.
1921
Published with open access at journalbinet.com
EISSN: 2312-7945, ©2020 The Authors, Research paper
Alam et al. (2020) / J. Biosci. Agric. Res. 23(02): 1920-1930 https://doi.org/10.18801/jbar.230220.236

The SB dryer improves the normal sun drying process, during which farmers spread the paddy within
the open under the sun, by protecting it from animals, insects, contamination and rain. The drying
tunnel also provides a buffer for the temperature and protects the grains from overheating, because
it is common during sun drying at noon. It eliminates the re-wetting of grains during rain and losses
due to animals, spillage and cars running over the grains if they are spread on roads. Depending on the
weather the drying rate during daytime is 0.5-1% per hour. Drying time depends on the weather and
therefore the initial moisture content of the grains. Skin-dry grains are often dried to 14% moisture
content within a sunny day. Wetter grains and through cloudy days the drying might take two or three
days. During rain and in the dark when the ratio of the air is high, the drying process stops, but by
keeping the tunnel inflated the grains are often safely kept inside the dryer, while they have to be
collected and bagged within the traditional sun drying.

b
a

Figure 01. SB dryer (a) top view and (b)inside view

Experimental Set-up of the SB dryer

Solar Bubble (SB) dryer was spread out on the floor according to its length, uncovered the open ended
zipper and the black plastic sheet of SB placed in the floor in a uniform way so that grains are placed in
equal thickness. The rough rice grains were delivered on the black sheet of SB dryer so that grains
were distributed equally in all places of the drying floor. A measuring scale and wooden leveler were
used for maintaining uniform grain thickness on drying floor. Fourteen k-type thermocouples were set
up at different location for recording temperature according experimental design (Figure 02). The all
of fourteen thermocouples were connected to data logger which was attached with a computer to get
continuous temperature reading at 10 second interval during drying operation. Then, zipper was
closed and started drying operation. Two ventilators were set up (12V, 0.254m diameter with casing)
with the help of a collapsible aluminum bars frame. The connected black and transparent polythene
sheets were joined with ventilators with the help of rope. Two solar panels (100 W per panel) were
fixed by an aluminum bar in the north-south direction at 45° angle to get maximum sun light
collection. A solar battery (12V 70Ah deep cycle battery) was placed near the panel connected with
solar panel and ventilators by a charge controller (SRNE-SR-SL10A) to receive charge during sunny
day and vice-versa during the night or cloudy weather. Then, the ventilators were started to make the
dome like shape of the polythene plastic roof and drying operation.

Before the drying operation, initial moisture content of rough rice, weight of rough rice, air flow rate,
ambient temperature, relative humidity, initial reading of thermocouple and solar radiation readings
were recorded. During drying operation, moisture content, drying air temperature, relative humidity
and ambient temperature reading were recorded following same procedure and instruments as
mentioned above every half an hour interval. Solar meter (Model- SL 100, accuracy: 5% of
measurement, measuring range: 1Wm-2 to 1300 Wm-2) was used to measure sun light during drying
operation. The experiment was conducted with three trials in Boro and Aman, 2015 harvesting season.

1922
Published with open access at journalbinet.com
EISSN: 2312-7945, © 2020 The Authors, Research paper
Experimental investigation of solar bubble dryer for rough rice drying

Figure 02. Layout of SB dryer experimental set up

Data analysis
Moisture content of rough rice: The moisture content was measured from twelve locations of SB
dryers, respectively. The amount of water in rough rice grain is represented by the moisture content of
the grain. At first time moisture removed from grain interior to the grain surface and then moisture
evaporated from the surface to surrounding air. Moisture content is usually expressed in percentage.
The quantity of moisture removed (Mw) from rough rice can be found out using the relationship
(Forson, 2007) as Eq. (1)

M p M i  M f 
MW  (1)
100  M  f

Where,
MW = the mass of water removed from wet rough rice, kg
Mp = the initial mass of the rough rice to be dried, kg
Mi = the initial moisture content of rough rice on wet basis decimal
Mf = the final moisture content of rough rice on wet basis decimal

Drying rate: Drying rate of rough rice sample varies with the initial moisture content and drying air
temperature. Drying rate was measured using following Eq. (2).

M Mf 
DR 
i
(2)
DT
Where,
DR = Drying rate, percentage of moisture content per hr
Mi = Percentage of initial moisture content of rough rice on wet basis
Mf = Percentage of final moisture content of rough rice on wet basis
DT = Drying time, hr

Drying efficiency: Dryer performance was measured using drying efficiency equation as well the total
energy supplied to the drying chamber and the total energy utilized by the drying chamber to remove
desired moisture. The energy supplied by the heat source and the total energy output was determined
in SB dryer. The drying efficiency is defined as the ratio of energy used to evaporate the moisture from
the rough rice to the energy input to the dryer (Eq. 3).
1923
Published with open access at journalbinet.com
EISSN: 2312-7945, ©2020 The Authors, Research paper
Alam et al. (2020) / J. Biosci. Agric. Res. 23(02): 1920-1930 https://doi.org/10.18801/jbar.230220.236

WLg
 (3)
Et
Where,
W = the weight of water evaporated, kg
Lg = the latent heat of evaporation of water, MJ kg-1
Et = total energy consumption (input), MJ

Total energy consumption: The total energy absorbed from sunshine and the total energy output
was determined in SB dryer during drying operation. Total energy consumption was calculated by the
following equation

(4)
Where,
Et = Energy consumption, MJ
RS= Solar radiation, W m-2
A = Drying area of SB dryer, m2
t = Time required for drying, s

Seed germination rate: Seed grain requires a high proportion of individual grains with germination
properties. The viability of grain is directly linked to the temperature attained by grains during drying
(Kreyger, 1972). Higher grain temperature over 43oC for drying rough rice seed will lose seed vigor.
The deterioration of the seed vigor in rice crops accounted for 20% of the yield losses (Shenoy et al.,
1988). At first, purity test was conducted to get pure seed, other seed and inert matter from each
sample. 400 (four hundred) numbers seed were taken for germination test. Germination test was
conducted in plastic box following International Seed Testing Rules (ISTA, 1999) using sand media.
Four hundred seeds were taken randomly from each of the samples. Plastic containers were used to
hold the media (sand) for the test. The sterile sand was used at field capacity. The media (sand) was
placed at the bottom of each container maintaining about 60 mm thicknesses. One hundred seed was
placed in each container at uniform distance. There were four replications for each of the testing rough
rice samples. The container filled with seeds was exposed to the air under the laboratory conditions of
temperature (25-30°C) and relative humidity (70-80%). The seedlings were observed for growth
measurement after 5 and 15 days interval. The normal seedlings, abnormal seedlings, sprouted seeds
and dead seeds were counted in each observation. Germination rate was measured using Eq. (5)

of germination (5)

Rice Quality Assessment: Milling quality tests were performed by shelling 100 gm rough rice from
each dried sample to determine head rice yield with five replications. At first, dried and cleaned rough
rice were dehusked with a laboratory rubber roller rice huller (Model- JLGJ2.5 test rough rice husker,
capacity (g/time): 50-500, Rate of husking (%):>=99.9, Power(kw): 0.37, dimension size (Lx W x H,
mm): 710 x 360 x 690, Zhejiang Zhancheng Machinery Co., Ltd.), then the bran was removed with a
Polisher (Zhejiang, China (Mainland)Brand Name: HUANSHA, Model Number: JNMS 15, Type: Grain
Processing Equipment, Product name: Iron roll rice whitener, Processing: Whitener) running for four
minutes for each amount of dehusked brown rice samples. Head rice yield was defined as the ratio of
head rice mass to original cleaned dried rough rice mass. Percentage of milling recovery was
calculated as the weight of total milled rice (including head rice and broken rice) divided by the weight
of dried rough rice sample and multiplied by 100. Whiteness, color and shape information of milled
rice were measured using SATAKE GRAIN SCANNER (Model- RSQI10A). Shape and colour analysis of
milled rice were calculated by weight ratio.

Financial cost calculation procedure: Financial cost calculation was done for SB dryer considering
fixed cost and variable cost. Fixed costs are independent of use. Fixed costs include depreciation,
interest on the machinery investment, taxes, insurance and shelter. On the other hand, operating cost
of a dryer is reflected by the variable cost such as fuel, lubrication, daily service, power and labor used
by the power source and the dryer. Benefit-cost ratio was also measured which refers the ratio of
benefits to costs (expressed either in present or annual worth). If the B/C ratio is greater than unity,
1924
Published with open access at journalbinet.com
EISSN: 2312-7945, © 2020 The Authors, Research paper
Experimental investigation of solar bubble dryer for rough rice drying

then it will be economically accepted. The payback refers to the time period within which the costs of
investment can be covered by revenues. In other words, it is the length of time required for the stream
of cash proceeds produced by an investment to equal the initial expenditure incurred.

III. Results and Discussion

Temperature distribution
Drying operation was continued until rough rice reaches desired moisture content. The measurement
were taken both manually and automatically from 9:00 to 18:00 hrs and rest the time only data logger
were open for recording temperature during the drying process. Figure 03 shows the relationship of
drying air temperature variation at different locations of SB dryer with ambient air temperature in
Boro and Aman season. It is observed that the temperature inside the drying chamber was greater
than that of ambient temperature of air by an average of 4.6°C in three trials during Boro season. In
addition, temperature difference between ambient air and inside the drying chamber was observed
higher in Boro season compared to Aman season due to high ambient air temperature (Figure 03).
Seveda (2012) reported that the maximum temperature gradient between the ambient air and drying
air inside the dryer was observed in summer month and minimum was observed in winter month for
drying industrial product in a solar tunnel dryer. The maximum temperature variation occurs in mid-
afternoon from 11:00 to 14:00 hrs. This resulted in a maximum variation of drying air increases the
drying rate of rough rice. It is indicated that the temperature was relatively higher at middle point of
the dryer compare to entrance and end point with no significant difference. It proves that air
temperature uniformly distributed all over the drying section. Similar results have been reported for
rough rice seed drying in the hybrid dryer (Hossain et al., 2012).

(a) Boro season (b) Aman season

Figure 03. Air temperature variations at different points of the SB dryer

Moisture distribution
The typical drying curves at middle points of SB dryer for Boro and Aman season are shown in Figure
04a and b. The rough rice moisture content was determined in two ways: manually using moisture
meter and an electric oven for half-hourly samples. The trend of moisture removal profile with
passage of time throughout the SB dryer was uniform because of thin layer drying by direct sunlight.
The initial moisture content was more in Boro season compared to Aman season. The resultants
drying time reduced in Aman season compared to Boro season. It can be seen from Figure 04, the
moisture content reduces in day time but increases in next morning because of entering high humid
air over the grain layer at night time. The re-wetting phenomena of the grains occurred during the
night time if the drying is not completed in one day (Ashfaq et al., 2015). The similar results are
reported on drying of Thai Hom Mali rough rice (Doungporn et al., 2012). It was difficult to achieve
moisture content less than 14% during SBD drying because of equilibrium moisture content which
depends on the temperature and relative humidity of the surrounding air.

1925
Published with open access at journalbinet.com
EISSN: 2312-7945, ©2020 The Authors, Research paper
Alam et al. (2020) / J. Biosci. Agric. Res. 23(02): 1920-1930 https://doi.org/10.18801/jbar.230220.236

(a) Boro season (b) Aman season

Figure 04. Change of moisture content at middle position of dryer

However, it was observed that during drying operation, vaporized moisture pushes out through
exhaust port of dryer from upper grain level and condensed in black sheet/drying floor from lower
grain level. The rough rice samples were stirred half an hour interval with plastic rake. It was
laborious and difficult to stir rough rice inside the drying chamber properly with plastic rake.
Mechanical or roller type stirring mechanism was also used in the bottom of the dryer for proper and
convenient stirring. Hence two labors were used for stirring manually two times per day to reduce
moisture condensation on black polythene sheet.

Drying performance
Dryer performance of SB dryer was evaluated in Boro and Aman season compared with traditional sun
drying method. The rough rice was dried from initial moisture content 25.6 and 20.1% to final
moisture content 13.7 and 14.5% in both seasons. The total drying time for Boro and Aman season
was required 19.8 and 16.7 hours, respectively. The initial moisture content in Boro season was higher
compared to Aman season. The resulted drying time required more in Boro season compared to Aman
season. The average moisture removal rate and drying efficiency were found more in Boro season
followed by Aman season, respectively (Table 01).

Table 01. Performance of SB dryer in Boro and Aman season

Hot air Initial Final Drying Drying
Drying Drying rate,
Season temp. °C moisture moisture capacity, efficiency,
time, hr % mc/hr
mean±std content, % content, % kg/batch %
Boro 39.0±1.9 25.6 13.7 19.8 0.6 1000 25.2
Aman 29.0±2.1 20.1 14.5 16.7 0.4 1000 12.3

The moisture removal rate and drying efficiency was varied in different trials due to variations of
sunshine hour, temperature and relative humidity. The initial moisture content of sample was also an
important factor in drying period. The less initial moisture content required less drying time. The
resulted drying time of Aman season was found less than that of Boro season. The moisture removal
rate was increased with the increasing drying temperature of rough rice. Ashfaq et al. (2015)
evaluated that mean drying rate for the solar assisted rough rice dryer was 0.83 kg hr-1. The drying
rate and drying efficiency were varied in different trials due to variations of sunshine hour,
temperature and relative humidity. On the other hand, drying rate and drying efficiency were
observed less in Aman season than that of Boro season due to effect of cold and foggy weather as well
as low temperature. (Aghbashlo et al., 2015) explained that the drying rate was higher when the
drying air temperature provided by the solar collector was high is due to intensive heat and mass
transfer followed by a high rate of water evaporation.

Seed germination rate

Seed germination test was conducted after drying in SB dryer with sun dried sample. It is observed
that the average germination rate (normal seedlings) of SB dryer and sun dried rough rice is 92 and
86%, respectively (Table 02). The germination rate of SB dried rough rice is satisfactory in both
seasons. The germination rate (>85%) of selected rice varieties is satisfactory in terms of normal and

1926
Published with open access at journalbinet.com
EISSN: 2312-7945, © 2020 The Authors, Research paper
Experimental investigation of solar bubble dryer for rough rice drying

abnormal seedlings. (MacDonald, 1997) suggested that a drying air temperature of 43°C is accepted as
the safe upper limit for drying seeds without damage which is closely similar with study temperature.

Table 02. Germination rate of dried rough rice sample in different drying method
Treatments Sprouted seed Dead seed Abnormal seedlings Normal seedlings
SB dried - 3 3 94
Sample 3 1 6 90
Sun dried 5 3 8 84
Sample 8 4 4 88

Rice quality assessment

Head rice yield of rough rice sample depends on drying air temperature, fissuring rigidity, post drying
duration and temperature as well as grain thickness (Jindal and Siebenmorgen, 1994; Siebenmorgen
et al., 2005; Wiset et al., 2001). Milling recovery, shape and colour of dried rough rice sample in SB
dryer and sun dried sample are shown in Table 03 and Table 04. There is no significant variation
between the experimental value and BRRI measured value of milling recovery. The percent of broken
rice in SB dried rough rice sample is more than that of open sun dried sample due to uneven drying of
rough rice. Lack of adequate stirring mechanism, moisture condensed in the bottom level of drying
floor thereby moisture gradient was observed between top and bottom layer of grain bin which leads
breakage of milled rice. Significant differences were also observed in hardness value of milled rice due
to high moisture content.

Shape and colour characteristics of milled rice were analyzed using standard calibration curve. The
average value of L*, a* and b* were recorded after milling process of SB and sun dried rough rice. The
drying temperature has highly significant effect on L*, a* and b* values of rough rice. The changing of
L*, a* and b* values at high temperature was increased with increasing drying temperature, the husk
surface of rough rice became darker and the differences of the sample colour increased during drying
operation. The L* value of SB and open sun dried rough rice was more or less similar. The a* and b*
values of dried rough rice were also similar. Hardness is another important physical property which
maximizes the milling yield of dried rough rice. The observed value of open sun dried sample was the
highest degree of hardness followed by SB dried sample. The variation in hardness of rice is due the
compact arrangement of starch granules. The results are similar to Mir et al. (2013).

Table 03. Milling recovery and shape characteristics of milled rice

Parameters SB dried rough rice Sun dried rough rice
Milling recovery, % 71.5±1.3 72.3±1.3
Head rice yield, % 58.6 63.9
Broken rice, % 12.9 8.4
Hardness, N 22.6 27.3
Accepts, (%) 62.7 78.3
Defects, (%) 37.3 21.7
Total no. of rice 775 730
Whole kernel, (%) 73.4 87.1
Unbroken rice, (%) 75.0 88.4
Broken rice, (%) 25.0 11.6
Area 7.4 8.0
Width 1.9 1.9
Length 5.0 5.5
Aspect ratio 2.7 2.9
Perimeter 11.7 12.4

Financial analysis
Economic analysis for SB dried rough rice sample is given in Table 05. The purchase price of SB dryer
was BDT 1,83,000 with economic service life 10 years. The operating cost of rough rice in SB dryer
was recorded Tk. 1.48 per kg with a payback period of 3.47 yrs while the operating cost in open sun
drying method was observed Tk 1.20 per kg. The cost of drying was higher in SB dryer due to high
initial investment and low drying rate. Ashfaq et al. (2015) mentioned that the operating cost of solar
1927
Published with open access at journalbinet.com
EISSN: 2312-7945, ©2020 The Authors, Research paper
Alam et al. (2020) / J. Biosci. Agric. Res. 23(02): 1920-1930 https://doi.org/10.18801/jbar.230220.236

assisted rough rice dryer was obtained Tk 0.90 per kg while the operating cost of drying by using open
sun drying method ranged from Tk. 1.5 to 2.0 per kg.

Table 04. Colour characteristics of milled rice

Parameters SB dryer Sun drying
L* 62.5 61.9
a* 4.1 4.1
b* 2.9 3.0
Whiteness 41.1 40.3
Immature kernels 0.0 0.0
Red kernels 0.6 0.9
Yellow kernels 0.3 0.2
Chalky kernels 12.0 9.4
Damaged kernels 0.4 0.5
Glutinous rice 0.0 0.0
Red 146.2 144.2
Green 141.0 139.0
Blue 133.4 131.3
Outline distortion 0.1 0.0
Degree of Inflection 0.2 0.1
Chalky ratio 0.2 0.1
Immature part 1.8 1.9

Table 05. Financial analysis

Description Value
Operating cost, Tk. kg-1 1.48
Sun drying cost, Tk. kg-1 1.20
Gross benefit of the dryer, Tk. yr-1 81336
B/C ratio 1.02
Net present value, Tk. 445
Payback period, yr 3.47

IV. Conclusion
The SB dryer was able to dry the rough rice from initial moisture content about 25% to final moisture
content of 14%. The experimental result shows that the temperature was distributed uniformly
throughout the dryer. Temperature inside the dryer was very much dependent on solar radiation/
sunlight hour though it was very difficult to get during harvesting season due to rainy or foggy
weather. Stirring with rake and tube mixer could be simultaneously used to reduce moisture
condensation in the bottom part of the grain layer. In rice quality assessment, the result showed that
the milling yield was found within the range of acceptable ranges by the millers and final consumers.
The germination rate was found above 80% for all dried sample. The SB dryer is appeared as a simple
and flexible technology alternative to sun-drying method.

Acknowledgement

This study is made possible by the support of the American People provided to the Feed the Future
Innovation Lab for the Reduction Post-Harvest Loss through the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID). The contents are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not
necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. Program activities are funded
by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under Cooperative Agreement No.
(Grant Number: UReRA 2015-05296-01-00).

1928
Published with open access at journalbinet.com
EISSN: 2312-7945, © 2020 The Authors, Research paper
Experimental investigation of solar bubble dryer for rough rice drying

V. References
[1]. Aghbashlo, M., Muller, J., Mobli, H., Madadlou, A. and Rafiee, S. (2015). Modeling and simulation
of deep-bed solar greenhouse drying of chamomile flowers. Drying Technology, 0, 1–12.
https://doi.org/10.1080/07373937.2014.981278
[2]. Ashfaq, S., Ahmad, Anjum, M., Munir and Wajid, A. (2015). Design, development and
performance evaluation of a small-scale solar assisted rough rice dryer for on farm
processing. Journal of Food Processing and Technology, 6(9), 480.
https://doi.org/10.4172/2157-7110.1000480
[3]. Bala, B. K., Haque, M. A., Hossain, M. A. and Majumdar, S. (2010). Postharvest loss and technical
efficiency of rice, wheat and maize production systems: Assessment and measures for
strengthening food security. Final Report CF # 6/08, National Food Policy Capacity
Strengthening Programme (NFPCSP), Bangladesh.
[4]. Doungporn, S., Poomsa-ad, N. and Wiset, L. (2012). Drying equations of Thai Hom Mali rough
rice by using hot air, carbon dioxide and nitrogen gases as drying media. Food Bioprod
Process, 90(2), 187–198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fbp.2011.02.009
[5]. Forson, F. K., Nazha, M. A. A., Akuffo, F. O. and Rajakaruna, H. (2007). Design of mixed-mode
natural convection solar crop dryers, Application of principles and rules of thumb. Renewable
Energy, 32, 2306-2319. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2006.12.003
[6]. Grolleaud, M. (2001). Post-harvest losses: Discovering the full story overview of the
phenomenon of losses during the post-harvest system. Rome, FAO.
[7]. IRRI (International Rice Research Institute) (2013).
http://knowledgebank.irri.org/imagesdocstraining-manual-rough rice-drying.pdf
[8]. ISTA (International Seed Testing Association) (1999). International Rules for Seed Testing.
Seed Sci. and Technol., 4, 3-177.
[9]. Jindal, V. K. and Siebenmorgen, T. J. (1994). Effect of rice kernel thickness on head rice yield
reduction due to moisture adsorption. Trans. ASAE, 37(2), 487-490.
https://doi.org/10.13031/2013.28101
[10]. Kreyger, J. (1972). Drying and storing grains, seeds and pulses in temperate climates:
Wageningen: Institute for Storage and Processing of Agricultural Produce, 1972.
[11]. Hossain, M. A., Hassan, M. S., Islam, M. S., Hossain, M. Al. and Rahman, M. Sq. (2012).
Development and performance evaluation of hybrid dryer for quality grain seeds, International
Journal of Energy Machinery, 5(1), 42-52.
[12]. MacDonald, M. B. and Copeland, L. O. (1997). Seed Production: Principle and Practice,
Chapman and Hall, New York, 1997.
[13]. Majumder, S., Bala, B. K., Arshad, F. M., Haque, M. A. and Hossain, M. A. (2016). Food security
through increasing technical efficiency and reducing postharvest losses of rice production
systems in Bangladesh. Food Security, 8, 361–374. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-016-
0558-x
[14]. Mir, S. A., Bosco, S. J. D. and Sunooj, K. V. (2013). Evaluation of physical properties of rice
cultivars grown in the temperate region of India. International Food Research Journal, 20(4),
1521-1527.
[15]. Seveda, M. S. (2012). Design and development of walk-in type hemi cylindrical solar tunnel
dryer for industrial use. ISRN Renewable Energy, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.5402/2012/890820
[16]. Shenoy, S. N., Paris, T. R. and Duff, B. (1988). Farm level harvest and post-harvest seed
management practices of farm women in an irrigated rice system: a case study: Paper
presented at “Women in Rice Farming System Network Orientation and Planning Workshop”,
held at the International Rice Research Institute, Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines.
[17]. Wiset, L., Srzednicki, G. R., Driscoll, H., Nimmuntacin, C. and Siwapornrak, P. (2001). Effects of
high temperature drying rice quality. Agricultural Engineering International: the CIGR Journal
of Scientific Research and Development, 3(3).

1929
Published with open access at journalbinet.com
EISSN: 2312-7945, ©2020 The Authors, Research paper
 Alam et al. (2020) / J. Biosci. Agric. Res. 23(02): 1920-1930 https://doi.org/10.18801/jbar.230220.236

HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE?

Crossref: https://doi.org/10.18801/jbar.230220.236

MLA
Alam, et al. “Experimental investigation of solar bubble dryer for rough rice drying in Bangladesh”. Journal of
Bioscience and Agriculture Research, 23(02), (2020):1920-1930.

APA
Alam, M. A., Saha, C. K., Alam, M. M., Manir, M. R., Hasan, M. and Rashid, M. M. (2020). Experimental investigation
of solar bubble dryer for rough rice drying in Bangladesh. Journal of Bioscience and Agriculture Research, 23(02),
1920-1930.

Chicago
Alam, M. A., Saha, C. K., Alam, M. M., Manir, M. R., Hasan, M. and Rashid, M. M. “Experimental investigation of solar
bubble dryer for rough rice drying in Bangladesh”. Journal of Bioscience and Agriculture Research, 23(02),
(2020):1920-1930.

Harvard
Alam, M. A., Saha, C. K., Alam, M. M., Manir, M. R., Hasan, M. and Rashid, M. M. 2020. Experimental investigation of
solar bubble dryer for rough rice drying in Bangladesh. Journal of Bioscience and Agriculture Research, 23(02),
pp. 1920-1930.

Vancouver
Alam, MA, Saha, CK, Alam, MM, Manir, MR, Hasan, M, Rashid, MM. Experimental investigation of solar bubble
dryer for rough rice drying in Bangladesh. Journal of Bioscience and Agriculture Research, 2020 March 23(02),
1920-1930.

Access by Smart Phone Journal BiNET | Scientific Publication

 Faster processing & peer review
 International editorial board
 29 business days publication
 Greater audience readership
 Indexing &bibliographic integration
 Social sharing enabled
Submissionor email to [email protected]
www.journalbinet.com/article-submission-form.html

1930
Published with open access at journalbinet.com
EISSN: 2312-7945, © 2020 The Authors, Research paper
View publication stats