The European Green Deal: Determination of the Energy Parameters of the String Husking Device in Buckwheat Processing

Abstract

The priority tasks of grain production sustainability are solving the problem of the significant total energy consumption of the full production cycle and adapting the existing equipment to use as part of equipment sets of low and medium productivity. A promising way to solve these problems is the development and implementation of a string husking device. Its use will significantly reduce the energy consumption of buckwheat groat production due to the use of an energy-efficient husking mechanism. In addition, the string device makes it possible to eliminate the operation of the preliminary sorting of grain into fractions from the technological line of grain production, which additionally reduces the energy consumption of the line and makes it possible to use the husker in lines of low, medium and high productivity. Reducing the specific energy consumption of buckwheat production corresponds to the “European Green Deal” concept and makes production more resource-efficient and competitive. This way, two out of the three pillars of sustainability are improved: environmental and economic. The design principle of carrying out the operation of removing the shell from the buckwheat grain in the developed string husking device is substantiated. Theoretical studies were carried out using an analysis and synthesis of the mechanics of destruction and the method of determining the moments of inertia of homogeneous bodies relative to their own central axes during the husking of buckwheat by impact. Experimental studies were carried out using an experimental string husking device. The conducted analytical studies made it possible to determine the dependence between the specific energy consumption of the husking process and the physical and mechanical characteristics of buckwheat, as well as the structural parameters of the string husking device and the kinematic indicators of its operation. As a result of experimental studies, it had been established that the specific energy consumption of the buckwheat husking process in the developed device is 44–47% lower than the equipment currently used for buckwheat husking, and is 0.491–0.498 Wh/kg.

A Spotlight on Environmental Sustainability in View of the European Green Deal

“…Elevating sustainability levels is usually achieved using less energy or technological means with a lower energy footprint. The presence of the terms in the red cluster confirms this fact even more emphatically [32,33].…”

“…The research highlighted the varied effects of green innovation components across different EU countries, illustrating the complex interplay between economic growth, innovation, and environmental sustainability. Taking into account various terms of the clusters of the visualization network, it becomes evident that achieving ecological sustainability and adhering to the ambitious targets of the European Green Deal requires a concerted effort that spans policy reforms, technological innovation, and strategic investments in green technologies [32]. Elevating sustainability levels is usually achieved using less energy or technological means with a lower energy footprint.…”