Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Sustainable drying technologiesâ of food, CRC, Ghent, Belgium , ss.54-67, 2026
Drying is the oldest and economic unit operation of preserving the food quality by moisture reduction and needs about 40–50% of the energy out of total energy requirement of production and processing of agricultural products. It has been calculated that industrial drying uses between 10% and 20% of all industrial energy in wealthy countries. This catalyzes the investigation for novel drying alternatives that reduce electrical energy usage. In this respect, the implementation of renewable energy (i.e., solar, wind, biomass, geothermal), which is ample and costless, in the drying procedure is perfect solution for drying of food. One of the most environmentally benign and economically viable solutions has been the use of solar energy for drying. Although this technology is readily available and reasonably priced, it typically results in uncontrolled extended drying duration, contamination, and subpar quality. Also, because of the lack of sunshine at nighttime and on overcast or during rainy days, the drying process cannot be completed. However, in tropical regions, drying food using solar energy is a frequently preferred method. The main difficulty in using this economically advantageous drying method is that solar radiation is not always available depending on climatic conditions. For this reason, solar drying can be combined with an additional biomass-based heat-generating unit to ensure continuous drying in case the solar heat source is insufficient. Indeed, biomass energy is known to be unaffected by climatic conditions. Through thermo-chemical processes like combustion or gasification, biomass could be used as a source of renewable energy for both the production of heat and power. A promising source of energy for drying agricultural products is biomass. Many researchers have adopted solar drying systems with biomass backup heaters for drying agricultural products like coconut, maize, bananas, herbs, pineapples, and ginger. The Third World could benefit from sustainable economic growth and development, thanks to biomass. More than 90% of rural households and 15% of urban households use biomass to meet their primary energy demands. It is predicted that the assessment of biomass will play a significant role in the future development of the global energy infrastructure for the manufacturing of chemicals and fuels, as well as for the creation of heat and electricity. This chapter comprehensively reviews the recent perspectives of biomass energy implementations for drying of food products.