Experimental investigations on drying kinetics, modeling and quality analysis of small cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) dried in solar-biomass hybrid dryer

Shreelavaniya, R.; Kamaraj, S.; Subramanian, Sevgan; Pangayarselvi, R.; Murali, S.; Bharani, A.

doi:10.1016/j.solener.2021.09.016

Cited by 17 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…But, in this study, passive type solar dryer was fabricated, in which, the solar radiation is collected by the transparent glass plate and then absorbed by the receiver plate without any external air supply. Solar dryers have many advantages like inexpensiveness, emission free, lesser spoilage, hygienic and eco-friendly 12 . One significant limitation is that this system can be used only during day-time (Sunshine hours) and in this case, a thermal backup is necessary to operate the dryer during night time 17 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further, a solar dryer with thermal insulation material is advantageous as it absorbs excess energy during sunshine hours and discharges the same in poor sunlight to enhance the drying and many thermal insulation materials are being used in a solar dryer. There are numerous studies on using a direct or indirect solar dryer to remove the moisture from medicinal plants, edible products, and other agricultural products 12 , 13 . Only few studies were undertaken on solar drying of algal species like indirect solar dryer for Spirulina platensis 10 , open sun-light, and solar chimney drying for Chlorella sp.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Design and fabrication of box-type passive solar dryer (BTPSD) with thermal insulation material for valorizing biomass and neutral lipids of marine Chlorella vulgaris for biodiesel application

Kalaiselvan

Mathimani

2022

Sci Rep

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The staggering rate of population growth has augmented the reliance on fossil fuel utilization, and it kindled the society to explore alternative and sustainable sources of energy. In this regard, biodiesel from microalgae came to the limelight; but crucial energy-consuming and expensive processes like cultivation, harvesting, and drying make the microalgal biodiesel unsustainable and economically unfeasible. To surpass these impediments, in this research work, a low-cost box-type passive solar dryer (BTPSD) is designed and fabricated with zero energy consumption mode and compared with conventional hot air oven for drying the biomass, neutral lipids of the marine microalga Chlorella vulgaris for biodiesel application. The onset of the work, BTPSD with 2 cm thickness of glass wool as TIM (thermal insulation material), 4 cm TIM thickness and no TIM was simulated for thermal storage behaviour using ANSYS FLUENT 19.2 Computational Fluid Dynamics tool and based on the results, 4 cm TIM thickness was chosen for experimentation. The time taken by BTPSD and hot air oven to remove the moisture from algal biomass is 3 and 2 h, respectively, whereas for neutral lipids drying, it was 4 and 3.5 h, respectively. Though there is a little difference in drying time, neutral lipid and FAME content from both drying systems are tantamount, i.e., ~ 12% neutral lipid and 95% FAME. Further, the percentage of vital fatty acids identified from BTPSD and hot air oven methods are almost similar, i.e., C16:0 (23.4%), C18:1 (14.3%), C18:3 (11.42%), C18:1 (9.22%). Though the time taken for valorizing biomass and neutral lipids of C. vulgaris by BTPSD is slightly longer than hot air oven, low energy consumption and cost-effectiveness make the BTPSD a promising system to scale down the microalgal biodiesel production cost significantly.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%