Switchgrass Bale Automatic Weighing and Watering System

Authors

  • Ni Nyoman Sulastri
  • Shelyn Gehle

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24843/JBETA.2020.v08.i01.p21

Keywords:

Switchgrass, Automatic watering system, Automatic weighing system, Fungus pretreatmen, Pleurotus ostreatus

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to maintain minimum moisture content for switchgrass bales that were inoculated with Pleurotus ostreatus, a white-rot fungus, in order to start the breakdown of lignin for conversion to ethanol. The moisture content was to be maintained above 50%, which would be monitored using load cells to determine the weight. Three bales were used, and thermocouple wires and hose system were placed at four points inside each bale. In addition, the ambient temperature and relative humidity inside the building were monitored. Bales were inoculated with 1%, 2%, and 3% grain spawn by mass. The inoculation was carried out by taking the bale apart in four places and sprinkling or spreading the fungal spawn over the bale. In order to continuously record the voltage readings from the strain gauges, NI USB-6225 data logger and National Instruments’ LabVIEW program was used to record and control the system. The develop automatic weighing and watering system had been able to maintain the bale moisture within the acceptable range and the fungus were observed growing. Some issues related to voltage readings and uniformity of water distribution must be addressed for future work

References

Inman, D., Nagle, N., Jacobson, J., Searcy, E., & Ray, A. E. (2010). Feedstock handling and processing effects on biochemical conversion to biofuels. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining, 4(5), 562–573. https://doi.org/10.1002/bbb.241Koff,

J. P. de, & Tyler, D. D. (2012). Improving Switchgrass Yields for Bioenergy Production. Cooperative Extension Faculty Research, (Paper 40), 1–6.Rasnake,

M., Collins, M., & Smith, R. (2013). Switchgrass for bioenergy. University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service.

Scagline-Mellor, S., Griggs, T., Skousen, J., Wolfrum, E., & Holásková, I. (2018). Switchgrass and Giant Miscanthus Biomass and Theoretical Ethanol Production from Reclaimed Mine Lands. Bioenergy Research, 11(3), 562–573. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-018-9915-2

Downloads

Published

2019-06-19

How to Cite

Sulastri, N. N., & Gehle, S. (2019). Switchgrass Bale Automatic Weighing and Watering System. Jurnal BETA (Biosistem Dan Teknik Pertanian), 8(1), 167–176. https://doi.org/10.24843/JBETA.2020.v08.i01.p21

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 1 (2020): April

Section

Articles

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

License Term

All articles published in Jurnal Beta (Biosistem dan Teknik Pertanian)  are open access and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This means that anyone is free to:

  • Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format.

  • Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.

However, this is granted under the following conditions:

  • Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.

  • No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.

By submitting an article to Jurnal Beta (Biosistem dan Teknik Pertanian), authors agree to the publication of their work under this open access license. The authors retain the copyright of their work, but grant Jurnal Beta (Biosistem dan Teknik Pertanian)  the right of first publication.

For more information about the CC BY 4.0 license, please visit the official website: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Most read articles by the same author(s)

<< < 1 2 3