MODIFICATION AND TESTING OF BIOMASS DRYER

Thesis Overview

<p> </p><p><strong>INTRODUCTION</strong></p><p><strong>1.1 Background to the Study</strong></p><p>Drying is the dehydration process used to remove the moisture present in food products by the application of heat. The heat may be supplied either by hot air or from the biomass energy. Drying process is used to preserve the food products for future usage. <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.modishproject.com/drying-methods-nutrient-phytochemical/">Drying</a>&nbsp;prevents the growth of bacteria and yeast formation. Drying can be achieved by using open air and biomass dryers. (Atulet al, 2014). Drying has a vital role in post harvest processing. It has always been of great importance for conserving agricultural products and for extending the food shelflife. (Doymaz 2007).<br>Drying crops by biomass energy is of great economic importance, especially in Nigeria where most of crops and grain harvests are lost to fungal and microbial attack. These wastage could be easily prevented by proper drying which enhance storage of crops and grains over long period of time. The biomass energy can easily be harnessed by a proper design of biomass dryer for crop drying. This method of drying requires the transfer of both heat and water vapor (Forsonet al, 2007). Biomass drying is a process of using biomass energy to heat air and the product so as to achieve drying of agricultural products (Ajay et al, 2009). Biomass air heaters are simple devices to heat air by utilizing biomass energy and employed rate temperature between 800C such as crop drying and space heating (Bukola and Ayoola, 2008).<br>Biomass can be define as all renewable or organic matter including plant materials, animal products, and forestry by products and urban wastes etc with highly different properties to be used as fuels. Energy obtained from biomass is not site specific, thus can be established at any place where plant and animal waste is available. The biomass backup burner helps the small scale farmers to dry their product in a more efficient manner. It is also able to reduce the drying time as compared to direct sun drying (Paistet al, 2005).<br>The biomass dryer is one of the dryers which has achieved some level of acceptance. One of the important<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.modishproject.com/integrated-information-systems/">&nbsp;disadvantages</a>&nbsp;of the dryer is that it cannot be used without any backup heater during night times and cloudy days. Introducing biomass makes the dryer operational even beyond sunshine hours (IEA, 2011).</p><br> <br><p></p>