Universal Nut Sheller

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Universal Nut Sheller, formerly called the Malian Peanut Sheller, is a simple hand-operated machine capable of shelling 50 kg of raw, sun-dried nuts per hour.

It requires less than US$50 in materials to make, and is made of concrete poured into two simple fibreglass molds, some metal parts, one wrench and any piece of rock or wood that might serve as a hammer. It accepts a wide range of nut sizes without adjustment. If necessary, adjustment is quickly and easily done. It is estimated that one Universal Nut Sheller will serve the needs of a village of 2,000 people. The life expectancy of the machine is around 25 years. The non-profit organization known as the Full Belly Project offers technical assistance to non-governmental organizations, cooperatives and entrepreneurial groups in developing countries.

Contents 1 How it works 2 Applications 3 Awards 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

[edit] How it works

Traditional shelling in developing countries is done by hand or by some form of mortar and pestle and thus requires a lot of labor.

With the Universal Nut Sheller (UNS), the user loads the desired crop in the space at the top (see figure). The user turns the handle, which rotates the rotor continuously. This creates centrifugal force, which pushes the nuts towards the gap at the exterior wall of the machine. There, the nuts are pulled down by gravity. As they descend, the width of the gap gradually narrows. The shell of each nut is broken at the point where the gap is sufficiently narrow and the rotor motion causes sufficient friction to crack open the shell. The tapered gap allows a range of nut sizes to be shelled. The kernels and shell fragments fall into a basket and are later separated by winnowing. The device works best for Jatropha curcas, shea, dried coffee, and Peanuts (groundnuts).

The Full Belly Project has developed a Pedal Powered Agricultural Processor which is easier to use than a hand crank type, and further decreases labor in developing countries. The Pedal Powered Agricultural Processor places the Universal Nut Sheller onto a pedaling chassis. In addition to the shelling method described, the pedaling apparatus is connected to a fan. The fan automatically winnows the harvest (separates the shells from the nuts). The pedal powered versions are capable of shelling the same variety of crops as the hand crank powered versions. The processor also provides access for the winnowing section to be used independently from the sheller. This allows winnowing of crops that are not shelled, such as rice, maize, sorghum etc.

[edit] Applications

The Universal Nut Sheller was originally designed to shell peanuts as a way to reduce labor especially for women and children and add value locally. It has since been adapted for other lucrative crops such as Jatropha curcas, coffee and shea. The Full Belly Project is performing research to develop appropriate technologies to further process these crops with a pedal powered oil press.

[edit] Awards

• 1st place - Popular Mechanics 2006 Breakthrough Awards ^[1]

[edit] See also

• Full Belly Project
• Appropriate technology
• Jock Brandis
• Sanoussi Diakité, inventor of a machine for shelling fonio.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• How to Make a Universal Nut Sheller (Must purchase mold)
• Video of Universal Nut Sheller in Uganda
• Jock Brandis: engineering the end of hunger
• Full Belly Project - non-profit organization which designs and distributes appropriate technology, including the Universal Nut Sheller
• Peanuts-a documentary film about Brandis' creation of the first Universal Nut Sheller then known as the Malian Peanut Sheller
• Universal Nut Sheller (2006) - update on the project, from Popular Mechanics, October 10, 2007 (accessed October 15, 2007)