DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL ENERGY-EFFICIENT ADSORPTION DRYER WITH ZEOLITE FOR FOOD PRODUCT

Abstract

The demand of high quality dry products closing to the fresh condition increases significantly. Current drying technology have shown the significant improvement on product quality, but the breakthrough respecting to energy efficiency is scarce. Air dehumidification with adsorbent such as zeolite is a potential option to enhance the drying effectiveness. With this method, the air as drying medium is contacted with zeolite. Hence, the vapor in air is drastically reduced up to 0.1 ppm or dew point -50oC. Meanwhile the air temperature increases at the same time due to the release of adsorption heat. As a result, the dryer inlet air contains more sensible heat for drying which improves the driving force for drying as well as total energy efficiency. This paper discusses the application of adsorption dryer with zeolite for drying carrageenan and corn. The results showed the positive improvement for product quality as well as shorter drying time. However, the comprehensive feasibility study is still required before commercial application.