The International Journal of Engineering and Science (IJES) || Volume || 9 || Issue || 04 || Series III || Pages || PP 29-33 || 2020 || ISSN (e): 2319-1813 ISSN (p): 20-24-1805 DOI:10.9790/1813-0904032933 www.theijes.com Page 29 Fish Smoking Kiln Using Agricultural Wastes as Energy Source (A) Daramola, J. A. a* Fasakin, E. A. b and Famurewa J.A.V. c a Department of Biological Sciences, Bells University of Technology, Ota, Nigeria. b Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture Technology, Fed. Univ. of Tech. Akure c Department of Food Science and Technology, Fed. Univ. of Tech. Akure, Nigeria. * Corresponding Author: Daramola, J. A. -------------------------------------------------------- ABSTRACT-------------------------------------------------------------- A unique fish smoking kiln was constructed to use agricultural wastes such as sawdust, palm kernel shell and rice bran as alternative to the usual conventionally used charcoal as energy source for smoking fish. The smoking kiln has an estimated capacity of 40kg of fish/batch with six fish trays and 36 fish hooks. Heat transfer is by conduction and convection. Also, the rotatory wheel and axle on which the fish drying trays are anchored ensured even distribution of heat. Calculation further showed that the kiln has 69.4% energy efficiency and drying period of 10 hours at an average temperature range of 60 – 120 o C, depending on the type of agricultural waste used as source of fuel energy. Also determined were the fuel conversion ratio, drying rates and calorific values of the different agricultural waste products. Calorific value of the four agricultural wastes ranged between 16.2MJ/Kg in palm kernel to 30MJ/Kg in charcoal. The drying rates of the sawdust and rice bran ignited in the kiln compared favourably with that of the charcoal and they produced smoked fish similar in dryness and quality with fish smoked with charcoal. Palm kernel had the least drying rate of smoked fish in terms of weight per hour during the 10 hours period of smoking. KEYWORDS: fish smoking kiln, agricultural wastes, heat transfer, drying rate --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date of Submission: 23-04-2020 Date of Acceptance: 04-05-2020 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. INTRODUCTION Fish is a major source of animal protein and an essential food item in the diet of Nigerians because it is relatively cheaper than meat [1]. Fish protein is an excellent source of amino acids especially, the three that are lacking in protein of plant origin namely lysine, methionine and tryptophan. It also contains mineral elements such as: zinc, phosphorus, iron and calcium [2]. In addition, fish is a good source of riboflavin, vitamin A and D [3]. However, large quantum of fish wastage occurs in the artisanal fishery of Nigeria due to poor infrastructural and storage facilities. It has been estimated that fish wastage due to spoilage is between 30 and 50 percent of the total domestic fish production in the sector [4]. Also, [5] stated that low levels of technical know- how, improper processing techniques, packaging and marketing problems contribute to post-harvest losses to about 20-30% of fish catch. [6] reported that 40% of total fish catch in Nigeria are lost annually due to inadequate or poor preservation, processing and handling. This trend of fish wastage is actively checked by smoking, an ancient food preservation practice. According to [7], the smoking of fish from smouldering wood for its preservation dates back to civilization. In Nigeria, the most common technologies being utilised are the indigenous smoking kilns, which include, the traditional mud or drum oven, rectangular oven, Magbon-Alade kiln, Chorkor smoker and recently, the Altona oven [8]. Most modern smoking kilns already developed in Nigeria or elsewhere in Africa, such as that of the Nigeria Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research- NIOMR [9], Kainji Gas Kiln [10] and Altona Kiln [11] are rather too expensive and depend exclusively on scare and competitive energy sources for their effective operation. It is noteworthy that all these kilns have no provision for the control of smoke and temperature. However, this fish smoking kiln (FUTA model) has a unique characteristic in terms of design and operation. It has comparative overall advantage of producing evenly smoked fish products. The smoked fish products can compare favourably in the international markets. In addition, the use of agricultural wastes by the kiln portends a viable option and cost effective approach to fish smoking in commercial quantity in Nigeria. Consequently, this study evaluated the efficiency and other parameters of the fish smoking kiln using agricultural wastes as sources of fuel energy.