Design, Fabrication and Performance Evaluation of a Shea Butter (Vitellaria Paradoxa) Clarifying System

Abstract

This work was aimed at the design, fabrication and performance evaluation of a Shea butter clarifying machine. It consists of two units and each unit of the system was made up of three tanks. The inner tank houses the oil to be clarified; second tank holds the water meant for generating steam to melt the oil in the inner tank while the external (third) tank provides insulation needed to minimize heat loss. The first unit of the system was designed to clarify the Shea butter even as the second unit concentrates the oil. A pump was located between the two units to help force the clarified oil from the first unit into the second unit. The designed system had capacity to clarify 170litres of oil in an hour in a single batch operation. When the oil was gently stirred by the stirrer welded to a shaft, impurities in the oil settles down at the conical section of the inner tank due to difference in densities and the action of reagents added. The impurities can easily be separated out while the cleaned oil floats at the top and pumped into the second tank. Power was generated from a 0.5hp (373W) electric motor for shaft rotation through gear motors which also assisted to reduced the motor speed from 1450rpm to the selected speed of 45rpm. The test result indicated that the clarifying system functioned properly. About 80litres of Shea butter was used to test-run the machine. Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and activated carbon were used as reagent to assist in the oil clarification. After the test, approximately 70litres of clarified Shea butter was recovered.