Energy efficiency and drying kinetics of recycled paper pulp

In this work, the influences of the air temperature and velocity on the drying kinetics of recycled paper pulp were analyzed. The increase of both variables positively influences the process, concerning the final moisture content and the drying time. However, optical microscopy and visual observation showed worse quality of the paper for drying conditions of high air temperature and velocity, presenting less uniformity and overdried surfaces. The dryer energy efficiency was evaluated by performance parameters and the results were compared with the ones obtained for other types of industrial paper dryers, presenting good agreement.