Design and development of hybrid solar-biomass drying system: An innovative approach

Drying, particularly of crops, a vital human activity and global use of dried products, is widespread. Moisture removal is essential for processing and quality control but often costly with fossil fuels. Solar drying emerges as a compelling solution to address these challenges. Seamless fusion of renewable energy - biomass and solar energy - propels the hybrid solar drying system, presenting a pivotal solution for small-scale endeavours. A hybrid solar-biomass dryer (HSBD), with 200 micron ultraviolet polycarbonate sheet house, equipped with a drying chamber with trays inside, and a biomass combustor with a hot air generator and chimney, can be used. Integration of biomass-assisted air heating system into a solar tunnel dryer (STD) emerges as a strategic solution for seamless and uninterrupted continuous drying. HSBD boasts comprehensive protection against rain, insects, and dust, ensuring superior product quality compared with open sun-drying (OSD). Average drying air temperature was 14.8 degrees C higher than ambient air, and average drying air relative humidity was 36.7% lower than ambient air, completing the drying process in 16 h in HSBD compared with 29 h for OSD. The dryer can dry about 300 kg of product. Biomass consumption of 2 kg h(-1) was registered. Thin-layered modelling was employed to identify the drying behaviour of food products, yielding insightful results. The nutritional composition of products dried in HSBD, STD, and OSD was tested.