Executive Summary : | The United Nations' sustainable Development Goals-Envision 2030 emphasize the importance of diversifying the global energy mix with renewable sources and improving thermal system efficiency. Fluidized bed drying (FBD) is a common drying medium used in industrial growth, but it faces challenges such as energy intake, surplus heat, and high costs. sustainable design adheres to energy and environmental management policies, including reengineering, lean engineering, and recycling practices. sustainable dryers have design features such as switching to renewable energy sources, reducing specific energy consumption, improving energy utilization ratio, and limiting heat waste.
However, there is limited research on the long-term viability of FBDs using solar energy as their primary thermal energy source, thermal energy storage, and liquid desiccant air dehumidifiers. The proposed work aims to design and build a solar-aided FBD and explore the benefits of incorporating liquid desiccant air dehumidification and thermal energy storage. Locally harvested agro-products will be chosen for drying experiments, aiming to investigate the reliability and sustainability of the drying system. The developed drying system, incorporating state-of-the-art technologies, could be beneficial for micro and small-scale industries like food processing. |