Pembuatan Alat Pengering Biji-Bijian Tipe Hibrida Skala Industri Rumahan

Abstract

Drying was a very important and complex process for extending the shelf life of agricultural products, particularly grains. Generally, drying machines used heat generated from artificial heaters. Subsequently, a conceptual design of a hybrid-type grain dryer for small-scale home industry applications with a capacity of 9.6 kg of paddy was developed. However, the fabrication and parameter testing had not yet been conducted. The method used in this study was a development research method, which was a continuation of the design and graphical model simulation stages. The main components of the dryer included an angle iron frame, an absorber, a gas-fueled burner, a data panel system for temperature monitoring, and three fans for hot air distribution. The testing was carried out in three replications using 7.2 kg of paddy at a temperature of 50°C with a layer thickness of 1 cm. The results showed that the dryer was able to reduce the moisture content of paddy from an average of 21.51% to 12.55% within 5 hours. The effective capacity of the dryer reached 1.22 kg/hour, with a consistent moisture reduction pattern following a linear regression equation. The operational cost consisted of fixed costs of Rp Rp 6.467.640,4 per year and variable costs of Rp Rp 5.947,719 per hour, resulting in a total basic cost of Rp 9.119,901/kg. This hybrid dryer effectively overcame weather dependence, improved drying efficiency, and produced high-quality paddy that met post-harvest standards, with affordable operational costs suitable for household-scale industries.