Modeling
M. Boroun; M. Ghahderijani; A. A. Naseri; B. Beheshti
Abstract
IntroductionEnergy analysis offers significant benefits by establishing a foundation for resource conservation, quantifying the energy consumed at each stage of production, identifying processes that require minimal energy input, and supporting sustainable management practices. In sustainable agricultural ...
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IntroductionEnergy analysis offers significant benefits by establishing a foundation for resource conservation, quantifying the energy consumed at each stage of production, identifying processes that require minimal energy input, and supporting sustainable management practices. In sustainable agricultural systems, maximizing the productivity of input energies is a key objective. This study aims to assess energy consumption patterns within the sugar industry and to compare the optimization of energy consumption indicators using two meta-heuristic algorithms, ultimately seeking to enhance resource efficiency and promote sustainable production methods.Materials and MethodsThis study evaluated energy efficiency and environmental impacts in sugarcane-based sugar production at Dehkhoda Sugarcane Agro-Industry Company (in Khuzestan Province, Iran), during the 2019-2020 agricultural cycle. Data collection integrated field questionnaires, expert interviews, operational records from the facility, and national agricultural databases (Ministry of Agriculture Jihad statistics and energy balance sheet). Energy flow were analyzed using MATLAB statistical software and the Equinonet database, with comparative optimization through genetic algorithms and imperialist competitive algorithms to identify efficiency improvements.Results and DiscussionThe results showed that, for the majority of indicators evaluated, the imperialist competitive algorithm outperformed the genetic algorithm in optimizing energy consumption. In addition to reducing the environmental impacts of this profitable industry in the country, it has a high potential for energy savings. The total energy input reduction with the genetic algorithm was 17.05%, while the imperialist competitive algorithm achieved a higher reduction of 26.40%. Natural gas consumption decreased by 3.82% using the genetic algorithm, and by 27.60% with the imperialist competitive algorithm. Direct energy savings were 16.97% for the genetic algorithm and 27.48% for the imperialist competitive algorithm. Soil acidification reduction was 23.03% with the imperialist competitive algorithm and 19.19% with the genetic algorithm, compared to conditions before optimization.ConclusionIn general, it can be concluded that, given the growing demand for sugar production and related industries, as well as the high efficiency of the sugar production sector, it is advisable to utilize expert knowledge and apply meta-heuristics methods to optimize energy consumption and available inputs with the aim of reducing harmful environmental impacts.
Precision Farming
M. Naderi-Boldaji; M. Tohidi; M. Ghasemi-Varnamkhasti
Abstract
IntroductionThe development of portable devices for real-time quality assessment of sugarcane is an essential necessity in the agricultural and industrial technology of sugarcane production and processing. Attributes of sugarcane such as sugar concentration and water content can be utilized for this ...
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IntroductionThe development of portable devices for real-time quality assessment of sugarcane is an essential necessity in the agricultural and industrial technology of sugarcane production and processing. Attributes of sugarcane such as sugar concentration and water content can be utilized for this purpose. Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy has been one of the most widely applied techniques for quality evaluation of sugarcane. However, NIR spectrophotometers in the full NIR wavelength range (up to 2500 nm) are expensive devices that are not readily available for portable applications. Short-wave NIR devices in the range of 1100 nm are available at lower costs but need to be evaluated for specific applications. On the other hand, dielectric spectroscopy has attracted the attention of researchers for quality evaluation of agricultural and food products. In a previous study, a parallel-plate capacitance sensor was developed and evaluated for non-destructive measurement of sugarcane Brix (total soluble solids) and Pol (sucrose concentration) as well as water content, in the frequency range of 0-10 MHz. The results showed excellent prediction models with root mean square errors smaller than 0.3 for Brix and Pol. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a dielectric sensor that can be extended for portable measurements on standing sugarcane stalk in comparison with short-wave NIR (SWNIR) spectroscopy to address how the fusion of the two methods may improve the accuracy of models for predicting sugarcane Brix.Materials and MethodsA dielectric sensor in the form of a gadget was developed with metallic electrodes to encompass the sugarcane stalk samples. The dielectric sensor was excited with a sinusoidal voltage within 0-150 MHz frequency range by a function generator, and the conductive power through the electrodes was measured using a spectrum analyzer. 105 sugarcane stalk samples were prepared from seven sugarcane varieties and scanned with the dielectric sensor. The samples were also subjected to Vis-SWNIR radiation in the wavelength range of 400-1100 nm, and the reflectance spectra were captured. Reference Brix and water content of the samples were determined using a portable refractometer and oven-drying method, respectively. Regression analyses and artificial neural networks were performed on independent and combined data from dielectric and Vis-SWNIR spectroscopy to develop prediction models for Brix and water content.Results and DiscussionPartial least squares regression on independent data sets of each instrument resulted in RMSEP = 1.14 and RMSEP = 1.88 for Brix using Vis-SWNIR and dielectric spectroscopy, respectively. Moreover, data fusion of dielectric and Vis-SWNIR spectroscopy at a low level for the prediction of Brix significantly improved the prediction accuracy to R2P = 0.94 and RMSEP= 0.74. The medium-level data fusion resulted in R2P = 0.89 and RMSEP = 0.93 for prediction of water content.ConclusionIn this study, the accuracy of using Vis-SWNIR and dielectric spectroscopy data for predicting Brix and water content in sugarcane stalk samples was evaluated. To develop the prediction models, partial least squares (PLS) regression and artificial neural network (ANN) were compared. First, the prediction models were developed based on Vis-SWNIR and dielectric spectroscopy independently. Then, the two techniques were fused and the improvement in the prediction accuracy was investigated. Fusing the two methods at an intermediate level lowered the RMSE of Brix to 0.74, showing noticeable improvement compared to previous studies. Based on the achieved results, developing a fusion probe for SWNIR and dielectric spectroscopy and designing the measuring system could be the aim of future studies for in-situ evaluation of sugarcane quality parameters. Due to the importance of sugarcane quality evaluation, during growth and maturity, the results of this study can have a significant role in the development of a portable device that combines NIR and dielectric spectroscopy methods for fast and non-destructive evaluation of sugarcane quality parameters.AcknowledgmentThis article was extracted from a research project financially supported by the Research deputy of Shahrekord University. The grant number was 0GRD34M1614. The authors would like to appreciate the support of the Amir-Kabir Sugarcane Agro-Industry Co., Khuzestan, Iran for providing the sugarcane stalk samples.
N. Monjezi; M. Soleymani
Abstract
Introduction Sugarcane cultivation in Khuzestan province is in the form of planting in-furrow. Due to the fact that in a machine harvesting, the reaper is not able to fully harvest the straw in the furrow, in the planting in-furrow method, it is necessary to transfer the rows of straw to the stack. So ...
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Introduction Sugarcane cultivation in Khuzestan province is in the form of planting in-furrow. Due to the fact that in a machine harvesting, the reaper is not able to fully harvest the straw in the furrow, in the planting in-furrow method, it is necessary to transfer the rows of straw to the stack. So one of the measures at the time was hilling up operations or stacking reeds planted in the furrow. Therefore, due to the salinity of irrigation water and high groundwater levels, which have increased the salinity of sugarcane fields in Khuzestan province, planting this product in summer to protect the seedlings against salinity is mandatory in the furrow. On one hand, due to the difficulty of harvesting operations in the furrow during the harvest season, and on the other hand, because of the reduction of waste during harvesting, the plant needs to be located on the ridge. Therefore, in sugarcane fields, when the seedlings are established and grown, the furrow and ridges are replaced, and to perform this operation special machines are required. According to the study, so far there has been no scientific and reasoned report on the study and evaluation of different types of hilling up devices and different speeds in sugarcane cultivation, and the use of machines in sugarcane cultivation and industry is based solely on objective observations. Therefore, in this study, three different types of devices have been evaluated in two soil textures and three different forward speeds as a step towards choosing the best type of machine and optimal speed of hilling up operations in sugarcane cultivation.Materials and Methods The purpose of this study was to evaluate three different methods of sugarcane hilling up in two soil textures and three different forward speeds. Research treatments include: soil texture (clay loam and silty clay loam), hilling up methods (6-shanks subsoil + 10-shanks subsoil, 8-shanks subsoil + hilling up device No. 1 and 8-shanks subsoil + hilling up device No. 2), and forward speeds (5, 6, and 7 kilometers per hour). Design of a factorial experiment based on randomized complete block design with three replications in Amirkabir field 208 (ALC 200 field 8) with clay loam texture and cultivar CP69-1062 and farm ARC14-22 with silty clay loam texture and cultivar CP69-1062, 15% moisture, and first-year cultivation was performed. The test plot includes 108 furrows. The area of each plot was two furrows. The length of each furrow was 250 meters (equal to the length of the sugarcane rows). To avoid affecting the interactions of the treatments, a distance was given between the treatments. The farms being tested were newly cultivated farms. The surface of the farm was furrowed and ridged. Care was taken in selecting the farm so that the humidity was similar in its different sections. After setting the right time for the hilling up and before starting the operation, soil sampling is required to determine the soil cone index and soil moisture. The physical properties of this study include Mean Weight Diameter (MWD), bulk density, soil surface uniformity, soil water permeability, and furrow depth (stack height). Analysis of variance and Duncan test were used to compare the treatments using SAS 9.4 software.Results and Discussion The results showed that there was a significant difference between soil Mean Weight Diameter, bulk density, soil surface uniformity, and soil water permeability in soil texture treatments, type of hilling up machine, and forward speed. Furrow depth index (stack height) was significantly different in treatments of type of machine and forward speed but not in soil texture treatments. The comparison of means showed that the whole loam texture treatment had 6-shanks + 10-shanks at a speed of 7 km h-1 with the smallest mean weight diameter (16.06 mm). The use of 6-shanks subsoil + 10-shanks subsoil in hilling up in whole texture and speed of 5 km h-1 significantly reduced soil bulk density. The lowest coefficient of variation of soil surface uniformity was obtained with 8-shanks subsoil + hilling up device No. 1 in clay loam texture and 7 km h-1 forward speed. The highest rate of water permeability in the soil was obtained after the hilling up operation with 6-shanks subsoil + 10-shanks subsoil in a total texture of 2.32 cm h-1. Furrow depth index (stack height) was also within the acceptable range (10-15 cm) in all treatments. But in addition to height, the appearance of the ridges is also important. In the treatment of 6-shanks + 10-shanks in plant stacking and embankment operations, sometimes in fields, there are parts where this operation is not done well and the machine is not capable enough and is in the middle of the created ridges. Harvesting operations do not cause proper reed flooring. Therefore, to solve this problem, it is necessary to perform the hilling up operation at the appropriate speed and humidity so that the soil is well placed on the rows of reeds and the proper appearance of the ridge is maintained.Conclusion In this study, three different types of devices have been evaluated in two soil textures and three different forward speeds as a step towards choosing the best type of machine and optimal speed of hilling up operations in sugarcane cultivation. The physical properties of the soil, including the soil Mean Weight Diameter, bulk density, soil surface uniformity, soil water permeability, and the size of the furrow depth (ridge height) were measured, and the best treatments were identified. Considering the importance of hilling up operations in sugarcane cultivation and to complete the results of this experiment, the following items that could not be studied in this study are suggested. The effect of using different methods on hilling up should be investigated on the yield of sugarcane. The effect of using different devices on hilling up in terms of tensile strength, work efficiency, and time required to do the work, fuel consumption, cost of timely work, and maintenance costs in operations on sugarcane hilling up should be investigated.
Agricultural waste management
E. Alboativi; A. Asakereh; H. Zaki Dizaji; Y. Mansoori
Abstract
Introduction: Bagasse is the dry pulpy fibrous residue that remains after sugarcane stalks are crushed for juice extraction. Bagasse is widely used in conversional and by-product industries. Bagasse is commonly used as a substitute for wood in many tropical and subtropical countries for the production ...
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Introduction: Bagasse is the dry pulpy fibrous residue that remains after sugarcane stalks are crushed for juice extraction. Bagasse is widely used in conversional and by-product industries. Bagasse is commonly used as a substitute for wood in many tropical and subtropical countries for the production of pulp, paper, and board. One of the most important conversional industries in the sugarcane agro-industry is chipboard production. In recent years, two chipboard factories from bagasse were exploited in Khuzestan province. In the production of chipboard from bagasse, a lot of waste is produced, most of which include pith. The waste is transferred to the outside of the factory at a great cost and energy level. Also, annually, a large amount of surplus bagasse of conversional Industries is obtained in Khuzestan agro-industries. These wastes cause many environmental and health problems, while these wastes can be used to generate energy. On the other hand, chipboard industries consume a lot of energy which is mostly fossil energy. Nowadays, in many sugarcane agro-industries in different countries, wastes are used to generate energy for sugar plants and conversional industries. Bagasse is often used as a primary fuel source for sugar mills.Materials and Methods: Current research is focused on the direct energy consumed in chipboard production from sugarcane bagasse and whether it can be provided by using residues and wastes of Debal Khozaie Agro-Industry Company. Data were collected from agro-industry companies as well as by sampling and measuring waste, input and energy consumption at the chipboard factory of Debal Khozaie. Direct energy consumed in the chipboard production from bagasse includes diesel fuel, electricity, natural gas, and labor. Input and output values of materials (bagasse, pith, etc.), and energy consumption (electricity, diesel, natural gas, etc.) were collected using both laboratory tests and data available in agro-industry. Potential of energy generation from bagasse, pith, wood chips, and straw in Debal Khozaie agro-industry, were considered by the direct burning method. Also, the potential of biogas production from vinasse in agro-industry for energy production was calculated. The moisture of bagasse (fresh bagasse, 24 hours, five days, 30 days, and 45 days after gathering), outdoor dried pith, outdoor dried straw and wood chip were measured based on the ASTM D2974 standard method in the laboratory. Ash percentage of bagasse, peat, straw, and Wood chips were measured using a furnace, desiccator and a scale. Also, the lower heating value of bagasse, straw, pith, and wood chips were measured using a calorimeter bomb.Results and Discussion: The direct energy consumption in the chipboard factory was determined to be 5.829 GJ m-3 of produced chipboard. Natural gas and electricity were the major sources of direct energy with 78.52% and 18.87% share, respectively. To replace these sources, pith and woodchips form chipboard factory, sugarcane leaves, remainder sugarcane bagasse, and vinasse from molasses-based Razi alcohol factory were considered. Properties of the substituted resources were determined including ash, moisture content, heating value (using bomb calorimeter), and amount of woodchips along with the biogas potential from anaerobic fermentation of vinasse. Results showed that woody residues from chipboard factory and Debal Khozaie Agro-Industry Company had the potential to provide 4.33 fold the energy provided by gas in the chipboard factory, considering the efficiency equal to 60%. Using the residues of the chipboard factory individually, it is possible to replace all the consumed natural gas and electricity energy needed in the chipboard factory as well. According to the volume of available vinasse, the potential biogas production from this resource estimated to be 8.82 Gm3.Conclusion: Electricity, natural gas, and diesel fuel constitute the direct energy consumed in the production of chipboard, and natural gas with 78.52% has the highest share. Electricity accounts for 18.87% of direct energy consumption. The specific energy of chipboard production at the chipboard factory was 5.829 GJ m-3. Only using the pith of chipboard factory can produce 2.85 times the total energy of natural gas consumed in chipboard factory. Investigation of the potential of biogas production from vinasse in Debal Khozaie agro-industry showed that it is possible to generate energy equivalent to 8824.3 thousand cubic meters of natural gas. Overall, the study showed that using the wastes of chipboard factory and sugarcane agro-industry has the potential to replace the entire natural gas and electricity consumption in chipboard factory.
N. Monjezi
Abstract
Every organization needs an evaluation system in order to be aware of the level of performance and desirability of its units. It is more important for agricultural companies, including agro-industries. In this study, 20 sugarcane harvesting units were selected. After modeling based on input-oriented ...
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Every organization needs an evaluation system in order to be aware of the level of performance and desirability of its units. It is more important for agricultural companies, including agro-industries. In this study, 20 sugarcane harvesting units were selected. After modeling based on input-oriented CCR and BCC models, efficiency values for sugarcane harvesting units were calculated and the CART decision tree was used to extract rules to predict the efficiency of these units. The results of a study of 20 sugarcane harvesting units in the CCR model showed that 6 units had an efficient score and 14 units had an inefficient score, and their technical efficiency score was in the range of 0.73-0.95. The results of the BCC model study also showed that out of a total of 20 sugarcane harvesting units, 8 units had efficient scores. As can be seen, in the BCC model, more units are introduced as efficient units and there is less dispersion between inefficient units. Also, the distribution of efficient units in the BCC model is less than the CCR model. The average technical efficiency, pure technical efficiency, and scale efficiency were 93%, 88%, and 93%, respectively. Also, the accuracy of the decision tree model for technical efficiency and pure technical efficiency was 86% and 93%, respectively.
F. Afsharnia; A. Marzban
Abstract
Introduction Given the risk management and improving the process, reliability is important in operations and production management, especially agricultural process. Failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) is regarded as one of the most powerful methods in this area. High applicability and proper analyzability ...
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Introduction Given the risk management and improving the process, reliability is important in operations and production management, especially agricultural process. Failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) is regarded as one of the most powerful methods in this area. High applicability and proper analyzability of FMEA have caused to be among the most important techniques of systems for risk analysis and safety improvement. Risk management in all sectors is important, especially in agricultural sector. Sugarcane is one of the industrial crops used as raw material for several major and minor industries. In Iran, this crop is cultivated by sugarcane agro-industry companies. The sugarcane trailers were used to transport harvested sugarcane from farm to mill in these companies. There are many problems to milling it on time. One of the most important risks involved in sugarcane transportation is the delays encountered in this process which can affect the quality and quantity of the product. Delay in milling of the harvested sugarcane is caused by various reasons in agro-industry units including factory downtime, breakdowns of tractors at factory gate, tractor accident in factory yard and staff shift changes creating long queues. So, considering and using risk management techniques and eliminating risk factors can be an effective step to increase the efficiency of this process. Materials and Methods This research was carried out on Sugarcane and By-Products Development Company of Khuzestan. At first, the sugarcane transport operations and used equipment were investigated through an interview with experts in the safety and technical sectors and engineers of the Sugarcane and By-Products Development Company of Khuzestan and the study of related books in 2017. After that, the defects and errors of each equipment that caused technical problems and problems in other equipment, as well as the occurrence of injuries and human casualties were identified. Finally, the risks were written for valuation in the FMEA method paper. In this research, risk pricing was based on the Brainstorming method. Risk evaluation is based on the ranking of the effect severity, the risk occurrence probability and the degree of risk detection available in the FMEA method. In this research, analytical network process (ANP), a modern and powerful method in the decision-making field, has been used in combination with FMEA (FMEA-ANP) for defeating the shortcomings. FMEA-ANP considers mutual relationships of hazardous factors, and by offering a certain structure, develops a systematic and flexible view in risk management scope. The suggested method deploys a simple concept of risk priority number and assigns different importance in the form of power for each factor. The resulted RPN will cope better with the system, in which it is applied. This method provides a more accurate analysis of risk and, consequently, more efficient and effective actions, causing attainment and maintenance of more desirable reliability. Results and Discussion The results of FMEA-ANP model indicated that the mill equipment in the sugar factory is the most important delayed factor (failure) in the sugarcane transformation. For this reason, the basis failure causes in the sugar factory has been carefully investigated and it has been concluded by experts' opinions that factory mill and the conveyers failures are important causes of the delay in this process, respectively. Based on statistical analysis, 73.15% of the factory downtimes were related to mill and ranked as first compared with the other risk factors. Among the conveyors, the most damage was related to the inlet conveyor to the first mill and 49% of conveyors failures occurred in this conveyor. Conclusion This research validated the application of FMEA-ANP for the rational organization of the harvest-transport complex. According to this investigation, the probable downtimes and delays can be prevented by implementing the optimal preventive repair and maintenance planning in the sugar factory, and in particular on the factory mill equipment. In addition, efforts to adapt the speed of harvesting and the speed of delivery by the factory can be effective in reducing the delivery delay time by the factory.
Agricultural waste management
H. Zaki Dizaji; N. Monjezi
Abstract
Introduction No use of advanced mechanization and weakness in post harvesting technology are the main reasons of agricultural losses. Some of these wastes (agricultural losses) are related to crop growing conditions in field and the remaining to processing of sugar in mill. The most useful priority setting ...
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Introduction No use of advanced mechanization and weakness in post harvesting technology are the main reasons of agricultural losses. Some of these wastes (agricultural losses) are related to crop growing conditions in field and the remaining to processing of sugar in mill. The most useful priority setting methods for agricultural projects are the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). So, this study presents an introduction of application manner of the AHP as a mostly common method of setting agricultural projects priorities. The purpose of this work is studying the sugarcane loss during production process using AHP in Khuzestan province. Materials and Methods The resources of sugarcane waste have been defined based on expert’s opinions. A questionnaire and personal interviews have formed the basis of this research. The study was applied to a panel of qualified informants made up of thirty-two experts. Those interviewed were distributed in Sugarcane Development and By-products Company in 2015-2016. Then, with using the analytical hierarchy process, a questionnaire was designed for defining the weight and importance of parameters effecting on sugarcane waste. For this method of evaluation, three main criteria considered, were yield criteria, cost criteria and income criteria. Criteria and prioritizing of them was done by questionnaire and interview with sophisticated experts. This technique determined and ranked the importance of sugarcane waste resources based on attributing relative weights to factors with respect to comments provided in the questionnaires. Analytical Hierarchy Process was done by using of software (Expert choice) and the inconsistency rate on expert judgments was investigated. Results and Discussion How to use agricultural implements and machinery during planting and harvesting of sugarcane, can increase or decrease the volume of waste. In planting period, the losses mainly consists of loss of setts during cutting them by machine, injury the setts by biological and physical agents, loss of growth in sett field, unsuitable sett covering and replanting the gaps. During cultivation period the losses include late in field harvesting and so late in regrows the cane, unsuitable ratooning and use of cultivator, varying the size of the furrows and ricks in around the field and destroyed the stubbles during rationing. In harvesting the losses easily seen and mainly associated by efficiency of harvester machines. Billets loss of the fleet in the transmission roads toward mill and late in harvest the burnet cane and then transport to mill are main sources of quantities and qualities of losses. The Expert Choice software performed well in conjunction with the panel of experts for choosing the criteria and assigning weights under the AHP methodology. According to the results, effective parameters on sugarcane waste consist of caused by harvesting, transportation, industry, planting, preserve operations, ratooning and land preparation. Weight of effective criteria (yield, cost and income) on losses of sugarcane obtained from paired comparison in the experts’ view which has been calculated with Expert choice software. The result of this survey by AHP techniques showed that yield criteria had the most and income criteria had the least importance for expert in sugarcane production. In this stage of research, alternatives of paired comparison relative to criteria was separately formed and information of questionnaire which relates to paired comparison of criteria was obtained. Between effective parameters on losses of sugarcane, harvesting with 0.243 weighted average was the most effective factor and transportation with 0.187 weighted average, industry with 0.179 weighted average, planting with 0.156 weighted average, preserve operations with 0.109 weighted average, ratooning with 0.071 weighted average, and land preparation with 0.055 weighted average was later, respectively (Inconsistence Rate =0.04). The results are examined by monitoring sensitivity analysis while changing the criteria priorities. Since different judgments are made on comparison of criteria, we use sensitivity analysis in order to provide stability and consistence of analysis. With increasing or decreasing of the criteria, we will conclude that ratio of other indices will not change. Conclusion This paper looks at AHP as a tool used in Sugarcane Agro-Industries to help in decision making. Results show that criteria studied in this research can help prioritizing of loss resources during sugarcane production process. According to the results, effective parameters on sugarcane waste consist of caused by harvesting, transportation, industry, planting, preserve operations, ratooning and land preparation.
K. Andekaeizadeh; M. J. Sheikhdavoodi; M. Byria
Abstract
Introduction Sugarcane is an important plant in the world that cultivate for the production of sugar and energy. For this purpose, evaluation of Sugarcane (SC) and Energycane (EC) methods is necessary. Energy is vital for economic and social development and the demand for it is rising. The international ...
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Introduction Sugarcane is an important plant in the world that cultivate for the production of sugar and energy. For this purpose, evaluation of Sugarcane (SC) and Energycane (EC) methods is necessary. Energy is vital for economic and social development and the demand for it is rising. The international community look toward alternative to fossil fuels is the aim of using liquid fuel derived from agricultural resources. According to calculations, about 47% from renewable energy sources in Brazil comes from sugarcane so as, the country is known the second largest source of renewable energy. Sugarcane in Brazil provides about 17.5% of primary energy sources. Material such as bagasse and ethanol are derived from sugarcane that provide 4.2% and 11.2 % consumed energy, respectively . In developing countries, the use of this product increase in order to achieve self-sufficiency in the production of starch and sugar and thus independence in bioethanol production. Evaluation of energy consumption in manufacturing systems, show the measurement method of yield conversion to the amount of energy. Many of products of Sugarcane have ability to produce bioenergy. Many materials obtain from sugarcane such as, cellulosic ethanol, biofuels and other chemical materials. Hence, Energycane is introduced as a new method of sugarcane harvesting. But, one of the problems of this method is high cost and high energy consumption of harvester. So that the total cost of Energycane method is 38.4 percent of production total costs, whereas, this cost, in Sugarcane method is 5.32 percent of production total costs. In a study that was conducted by Matanker et al. (2014) with title “Power requirements and field performance in harvesting EC and SC”, the power requirements of some components of sugarcane harvester and its field capacity, in Sugarcane and Energycane methods were examined. The consumed power by basecutter, elevator and chopper was measured in terms of Mega grams per hour (Mg.h-1) Chopper energy consumption in Energycane method was 1.65 KJ more than Sugarcane method. The quantitative parameters including forward speed (km.h-1), field capacity (ha.h-1), the field performance (Mg.ha-1) and reed output (Mg.h-1) were also measured. Finally, statistical comparison was conducted between the two methods. The aim of this study is to provide Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) method using the calculated parameters by the Matanker et al. This method provides decision-making ability for a manager. Materials and Methods In this study, quantitative parameters including fuel consumption (Lit.ha-1), harvester power (kW), efficiency of engine torque (%), energy of used hydraulic oil in basecutter, chopper and elevator (Mj.Mg-1), forward speed (km.h-1), field capacity (ha.h-1), the field performance (Mg.ha-1) and reed output (Mg.h-1 ) and qualitative parameters including the mean of average diameter of the stem (mm), stem height (m), number of stems on the meter (m-1), the percentage of cut stems and intact, cut stems and partially damaged and strongly damaged stems. The average height of straw and the stubble (mm), average of bulk density (kg.m-3), the average of moisture content, average of dry matter (biomass), (Mg.ha-1) were measured. Data analysis was conducted with Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) method. Tables 1 and 2 in terms of qualitative and quantitative parameters for the two methods of A and B, to form of rij matrix and based on measured criteria (C) have arranged, respectively. Conclusion Choosing the appropriate method for sugarcane harvesting should be according to the purpose of harvesting. Energycane method has high energy consumption that it increases the operational costs. On the other hand, the quality of the obtained biomass from it is better, but Sugarcane method has high energy efficiency. But in terms of quality, the plant is not in good condition. For this reason, it is necessary, aim of harvesting and its type, be specified before crop planting.
N. Monjezi; M. J. Sheikhdavoodi; H. Zaki Dizaji; A. Marzban; M. Shomeili
Abstract
Introduction Planning and scheduling of farming mechanized operations is very important. If the operation is not performed on time, yield will be reduced. Also for sugarcane, any delay in crop planting and harvesting operations reduces the yield. The most useful priority setting method for agricultural ...
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Introduction Planning and scheduling of farming mechanized operations is very important. If the operation is not performed on time, yield will be reduced. Also for sugarcane, any delay in crop planting and harvesting operations reduces the yield. The most useful priority setting method for agricultural projects is the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). So, this article presents an introductry application manner of the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) as a mostly common method of setting agricultural projects priorities. Analytic Hierarchy process (AHP) is a decision making algorithm developed by Dr. Saatyin 1980. It has many applications as documented in Decision Support System literature. Currently, this technique is widely used in complicated management decision makings which AHP was preferred from other established methodologies as it does not demand prior knowledge of the utility function; it is based on a hierarchy of criteria and attributes reflecting the understanding of the problem, and finally, because it allows relative and absolute comparisons, thus making this method a very robust tool. The purpose of this research is to identify and prioritize the effective parameters on lack of timeliness of operations of sugarcane production using AHP in Khuzestan province of Iran. Materials and Methods The effective parameters effecting on lack of timeliness of operations have been defined based on expert’s opinions. A questionnaire and personal interviews have formed the basis of this research. The study was applied to a panel of qualified informants made up of fourteen experts. Those interviewed were distributed in Sugarcane Development and By-products Company in 2013-2014. Then, by using the Analytical hierarchy process, a questionnaire was designed for defining the weight and importance of parameters affecting on lack of timeliness of operations. For this method of evaluation, three main criteria considered were yield criteria, cost criteria and income criteria. Criterions and prioritizing of them was done by questionnaire and interview with sophisticated experts. This technique determined and ranked the importance of criteria affecting on lack of timeliness of operations based on attributing relative weights to factors with respect to comments provided in the questionnaires. By using of software (Expert choice) Analytical Hierarchy Process was done and the inconsistency rate on expert judgments was investigated. Expert Choice software (Expert Choice 1999) was applied to examine the structure of the proposed model and achieve synthesis/ graphical results considering inconsistency ratios. Results and Discussion The Expert Choice software performed well in conjunction with the panel of experts for choosing the criteria and assigning weights under the AHP methodology. According to results, effective parameters on lack of timeliness of operations of sugarcane production consist of delays caused by management, delays caused by human, delays caused by machine and delays caused by procedure (the production process).Weight of criteria effective factors (yield, cost and income) on lack of timeliness of operations obtained from paired comparison in the experts’ view which has been calculated with Expert choice software. The result of this survey by AHP techniques showed that cost criteria had the most and income criteria had the least importance for expert in sugarcane production. In this stage of research, alternatives paired comparison relative to criteria was separately formed and information of questionnaire which relates to paired comparison of criteria was obtained. Between effective parameters on lack of timeliness of operations, machine factors to 0.366 weighted average was the most effective factor and production process to 0.298 weighted average, management factors to 0.177 weighted average and human factors to 0.160 weighted average was later respectively (Inconsistence Rate =0.03). The results are examined by monitoring sensitivity analysis while changing the criteria priorities. Since different judgments are made on comparison of criteria, we use sensitivity analysis in order to provide stability and consistence of analysis. With increase or decrease of the criteria, we will conclude that ratio of other indices will not change. Conclusion The analytic hierarchy process, as developed by Saaty, has been successfully applied in recent research to cases of agricultural project. This paper looks at AHP as a tool used in Sugarcane Agro-Industries to help in decision making. Results showed that criteria studied in this research can help prioritizing the effective parameters on lack of timeliness of operations of sugarcane production. Cost criteria are the main criteria effective on lack of timeliness operations of sugarcane production. The most important factor is machine factor.
