Development of a rice Destoner for local rice production in South-Western Nigeria

The high consumption of rice worldwide has made rice processing industries very common, especially in developing countries like Nigeria, where small-scale local rice mills still use manual methods to separate rice from stones and pebbles. This approach is time-consuming and inefficient. Therefore, the development of a cheap and portable rice destoner for local rice farmers is of high importance. The aim of this project is to develop a rice destoner, which will proffer a cost-effective and efficient solution to the problem of rice destoning. The project's objectives include investigating traditional methods of removing stones from rice, adapting the method to the machine's design, fabricating the machine, and evaluating its performance. The expected contribution of the project to knowledge is the provision of a platform for other researchers to work on the production of Nigeria's local rice. This project will boost the consumption of local rice, especially in the south-west region of Nigeria, and improve the economic situation of farmers greatly. The project is focused on designing and fabricating a rice destoner that will use vibrating sieves powered by an electric motor to destone local rice