PRIMARY INVESTIGATOR: Dr. Kafayat Adetoun Fakoya
Co-PRIMARY INVESTIGATORS: Ms. Ayojesutomi O. Abiodun-Solanke, Professor Adenike Omotunde Boyo, Professor Shehu Latunji Akintola, Dr. Kafayat Oluwakemi Ajelara
INSTITUTE: Lagos State University www.lasu.ng/home/
Summative video for project ID57 (Oct, 2022):
FURTHER INFORMATION: The project team have produced a number of videos showing some of their dissemination work and evaluation processes on their research outputs.
Latest update from the PI on the prototype drum kiln (Jan 2023).
Read – A practical guide on the use of biomass briquettes and improved drum kiln for small-scale fish smokers:
Dissemination workshop webinar, 30 September 2022: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjNbcqbUneA
This webinar is also available in Yoruba, the local language of fish smokers in Lagos: https://youtu.be/menA6XOzdpU
A series of videos taken during performance evaluations:
The first performance evaluation of the drum kiln prototype was conducted on 9 September, 2022. The prototype is a double – walled, half-drum kiln or oven lagged or insulated with mud. It was purposefully constructed to use carbonized biomass briquettes produced from biomass/agricultural residues as its main energy source. Alternatively, charcoal can be used in place of briquettes. The concept or design was based on local fish smokers’ demonstration in a video clip where carbonized biomass briquettes were used to smoke fish in a local half–drum kiln.
The purpose of insulating the drum is to minimize heat loss to improve smoking process of fish, make it available for homestead use and attractive to entrepreneurial youth because it bequeaths decent working conditions. Although, fish smokers that assessed the novel kiln admired the concept but felt it was too heavy because of the mud that was used as lagging material. Also, based on their experience, they suggested modification of some other features of the kiln to improve performance.
Video of First performance evaluation, 9 September 2022
A second evaluation performance was conducted on 15 September, 2022. Mud was replaced with fibre – wool as insulating material in another version of the prototype. Smoking process was started with one-large size briquette. However, both ignition and burning times were slow, and drying time took longer than expected.
Video of Second performance evaluation, 15 September 2022
A third evaluation was conducted on 20 September, 2022 with the fibre – wool insulated drum kiln prototype. Fish smoking was started with two large –sized briquettes. The fish attained relative dryness within a shorter time than the previous test. Fish smokers testified to the improved efficiency of the prototype and briquette in smoking fish. Moreover, smoking with briquettes in the kiln did not require interchange of tray/ fish position. From the fish smokers’ assessments, the appearance, taste and texture were better than charcoal and firewood smoked fish, respectively.
Video of Third performance evaluation, 20 September 2022
A 2-day Awareness and Training and Workshop from July 27 to July 28, 2022, where fisher folks were first introduced to biomass briquettes and performed a simple test (sensory evaluation) to evaluate the quality of briquettes-smoked fish to the same type of fish smoked with charcoal and firewood, respectively.
SECTOR(S): Renewable Energy, Infrastructure
STEAM FIELD(S): Science, Engineering
Read more about ID57 in GDS Bulletin Issue Two
Introductory video from project ID57 (Oct, 2020):