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Optimization of Pelleting and Infrared-Convection Drying Processes of Food and Agricultural Waste Using Response Surface Methodology (RSM)

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Abstract

The use of agricultural wastes as livestock feed is an appropriate method to convert these materials into high value-added materials. These wastes have low nutritional value per unit volume and high transportation, storage and labor costs when they are used in original form. Compaction of wastes in the form of pellet is a proper solution to solve these problems. The pellet drying stage is one of the most important pellet production processes that affect the quality of the pellets. In the present study, the impacts of moisture content, particle size, inlet air temperature of dryer and infrared power of dryer were investigated on properties of physical (unit and bulk density and shrinkage) and thermal (effective moisture diffusivity and specific energy consumption) properties of pellets produced from food and agriculture wastes. The results indicated that all independent variables had a significant negative effect on unit and bulk densities. The effective moisture diffusivity increased with the increase in particle size, infrared power and air temperature dryer. Also specific energy consumption in infrared-convection drying of pellets increased with finer grinding of raw materials.

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Abbreviations

b:

Constant regression coefficient

Cpa :

Specific heat capacity of air, 1.8288 kJ kg−1 °C−1

Cpv :

Specific heat capacity of vapor, 1.00416 kJ kg−1 °C−1

Deff :

Effective moisture diffusivity, m2 s−1

ha :

Absolute air humidity, kgvapor kgdry air−1

J0 :

Bessel function of the first kind and zero order

M:

Moisture content at any time, % dry basis

Mf :

Final moister content, % dry basis

Me :

Equilibrium moisture content, % dry basis

Mi :

Initial moisture content, % dry basis

m:

Number of independent variables

mvi :

Mass of removal water from infrared radiation, kg

mvc :

Mass of removal water from convective drying, kg

NFi :

Fick number (Defft/r2), s−1

P:

Infrared power, W

Q:

Inlet air to drying chamber, m3 s−1

r:

Cylinder radius, m

S:

Shrinkage, %

Se :

Specific energy consumption, kJ kg−1

Sec :

Se for convective drying, kJ kg−1

Sei :

Se for infrared drying, kJ kg−1

t:

Time, s

Tam :

Ambient air temperature, °C

Tin :

Inlet air temperature to drying chamber, °C

Wi :

Initial weight of samples, g

Ww :

Weight of water, g

Xi and Xj :

Independent variables

V:

Initial volume, m3

V0 :

Volume after drying, m3

Vh :

Specific air volume, m3 kg−1

y:

Response

α:

Roots of Jo(rα) = 0

ε:

Random error

n:

Number of terms

BD:

Bulk density

CP:

Crude protein

CV:

Coefficient of variation

D:

Desirability

IR:

Infrared radiation

MC:

Moisture content

MD:

Dry matter

MR:

Moisture ratio

PS:

Particle size

RSM:

Response surface methodology

SEC:

Specific energy consumption

UD:

Unit density

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Acknowledgements

Financial support of this research was received from Bu-Ali Sina University, which is gratefully acknowledged.

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  1. Department of Biosystems Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, 65178-38695, Iran

    Ali Ghasemi & Reza Amiri Chayjan

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  1. Ali Ghasemi
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Ghasemi, A., Chayjan, R.A. Optimization of Pelleting and Infrared-Convection Drying Processes of Food and Agricultural Waste Using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). Waste Biomass Valor 10, 1711–1729 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12649-017-0178-5

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