Drying

Technology
Technology details
Name:	Drying
Category:	Pre-processing (Separation technologies), Post-processing (Separation technologies)
Feedstock:	Biowaste including liquids
Product:	Dry biomass

Drying technologies are based on the vaporisation/evaporation or sublimation of different liquids or solids under different gas atmospheres and physical conditions resulting in dry products or products with a desired humidity.

Feedstock

Pre-treatment

In view of the energy costs involved in drying, this technology is of limited use in pre-treatment. The need to dry biomass feedstocks before they can for example be gasified, can place a large energy and capital cost burden on small-to-medium scale biomass gasification plants for the production of heat and power. Drying may not always be unavoidable, but as biomass moisture content to the gasifier increases, the quality of the product gas deteriorates along with the overall performance of the whole system.

Process and technologies

Air drying

Process that involves the evaporation of liquids under an oxygen atmosphere. The exchange of oxygen with low humidity accelerates this process, but may lead to an (unwanted) oxidation of the product.

Nitrogen drying

Process that involves the evaporation of liquids under an nitrogen atmosphere. The exchange of nitrogen accelerates this process. Since nitrogen is an inert gas, unwanted reactions such as oxidation of the product are avoided.

Freeze drying

Also known as lyophilisation. The technology represents a low temperature and pressure dehydration process that involves freezing the product, lowering pressure ("vacuum"), then removing the ice by sublimation and condensing.

Thermal drying

Process that involves the vaporisation/evaporation of liquids through the application of heat under different atmospheres. With increasing application of heat, the process can be accelerated. Very high temperatures may lead to unwanted reactions of the product. Examples for thermal drying technologies are flash (pneumatic) drying, radiative drying, solar drying, drum drying, and supercritical drying.

Vacuum drying

Process that involves the evaporation of liquids under a vacuum atmosphere. The vacuum atmosphere allows the evaporation of liquids at lower temperatures than under atmospheric pressure.

Product

Post-treatment

Drying is a widely used process in industry worldwide, with many different reasons: to save weight, to make transport easier, to extend the shelf life of food, to obtain a product that can be further processed, etc.

The importance of drying efficiency has increased significantly due to high energy costs and increasingly stringent customer quality requirements.

Technology providers

Technology comparison

Company name	Country	City	Technology category	Technology name	TRL	Capacity [kg/h]	Processable volume [L]	Processable mass [kg]	Temperature [°C]	Pressure [Bar]	Feedstock: Food waste	Feedstock: Garden & park waste
Andritz	Germany	Cologne	Freeze drying	Powerdry 5000	9	0.00138	100	1	-20	0.0004	●	●
CENER (ES)	France	Paris	Nitrogen drying	Nitrodry	9	0.003	0.5	0.5	20	1	●	●
Dorset Group
Mastershred GmbH

Andritz

Drying provider

General information
Company:	Andritz
Country:	Austria, Sweden
Contact:	Andritz AB, Sweden, Kvarnvägen, SE-351 87 Växjö; Email: flakt.drying{at}andritz.com
Webpage:	https://www.andritz.com
Technology and process details
Technology name:	ANDRITZ	Technology category:	Pre-processing (Separation technologies), Post-processing (Separation technologies)
TRL:	Commercial	Capacity:	kg·h-1
Atmosphere:		Evaporable substances:
Pressure:	bar	Processable mass:	kg
Processable volume:	L	Temperature:	°C
		Other:
Feedstock and product details
Feedstock:	mixed biomass, sawdust	Product:	dried biomass

Andritz is an international technology group providing plants, systems, equipment, and services for various industries. The company is one of the technology and global market leaders in the hydropower business, the pulp and paper industry, the metal working and steel industries, and in solid/liquid separation in the municipal and industrial segments. The listed Group is headquartered in Graz, Austria. Since its foundation 170 years ago, Andritz has developed into a Group with approximately 27,400 employees, and more than 280 locations in over 40 countries worldwide.

ANDRITZ offers several different drying technologies to match the application and heat source available, mainly for pulp and paper industries. The different technologies are:

• Rotary drum
• Belt dryer
• Pneumatic
• Fluidbed

Information: Andritz biomass drying

CENER (ES)

Drying provider

General information
Company:	CENER BIO2C
Country:	Spain
Contact:	Goizeder Barberena, info@cener.com
Webpage:	Pretreatment Unit - Cener BIO2C
Technology and process details
Technology name:	BIO2C – DryingPlant	Technology category:	Pre-processing (Separation technologies), Post-processing (Separation technologies)
TRL:	6-7	Capacity:	Burner power: 580 KW; 200 – 700 kg·h-1
Atmosphere:	trommel-type rotary dryer	Evaporable substances:	not available
Pressure:	not available bar	Processable mass:	200 – 700 kg
Processable volume:	not relevant L	Temperature:	Hot gas flow: 6000 kg/h at 300ºC °C
		Other:	More info: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSzeXOrNTnQ
Feedstock and product details
Feedstock:	Various Biomass Materiasl: Herbaceous (cereal straw, agro-residues…), woody (pine, poplar, beech, eucalyptus, pawlonia, olive tree pruning…), variety of organic wastes (including low density materials and materials with high content of fines and dust).	Product:	Dried Biomass

CENER Biomass Department performs applied research activities in the field of biomass, providing R&D services and technical assistance to all agents of the sector. The area is focused on the development & optimization of production processes of bioproducts, solid biofuels, advanced liquid or gaseous biofuels, as well as biorefinery concepts. Indeed, the main pillars are focused on solid biofuels, bioprocesses and comprehensive sustainability assessment. The main infrastructures in this department include the Biomass Laboratory (biomass & biofuels characterization and process development at lab scale), as well as the Biorefinery and Bioenergy Centre (BIO2C).

Dorset Group

Drying provider

General information
Company:	Dorset Group
Country:	The Netherlands
Contact:	Dorset Green Machines BV, Weverij 26, 7122 MS Aalten, The Netherlands; Email: gm[at]dorset.nu
Webpage:	https://www.dorset.nu
Technology and process details
Technology name:	Dorset Drying	Technology category:	Pre-processing (Separation technologies), Post-processing (Separation technologies)
TRL:	Commercial	Capacity:	kg·h-1
Atmosphere:		Evaporable substances:
Pressure:	bar	Processable mass:	kg
Processable volume:	L	Temperature:	°C
		Other:
Feedstock and product details
Feedstock:	mixed biomass, sawdust	Product:	dried biomass

Dorset was founded in 1984 for the import of Daltec feeding systems for pig feeding. In late eighties and early nineties more divisions were founded that started the development and production of a variety of machinery and electronic products. Today the group consists of two divisions, each with their own development and production. The group is globally active with a headquarters in the Netherlands.

Dorset offers drying technologies for several biomass streams like digestate, sewage sludge or mixed biomass. It has a lot of experience with drying several biomass materials incl. grass, compost, fats and food residues. The warm air required for the use of a conveyor belt dryer, can be supplied by the use of either warm stable air or air heated in another way.

Information: Dorset dryers, Biomass solutions

Mastershred GmbH

Drying provider

General information
Company:	Mastershred GmbH
Country:	Germany
Contact:	Raphael Barth, Managing Director, Tel.: 07173 186-140, Email: barth(at)mastershred.de Michael Schubert, Managing Director, Tel.: 07173 186-70, Email: schubert(at)mastershred.de
Webpage:	https://mastershred.de/
Technology and process details
Technology name:	Mastershred	Technology category:	Pre-processing (Separation technologies), Post-processing (Separation technologies)
TRL:		Capacity:	kg·h-1
Atmosphere:		Evaporable substances:
Pressure:	bar	Processable mass:	kg
Processable volume:	L	Temperature:	°C
		Other:
Feedstock and product details
Feedstock:	mixed biowaste	Product:	- Bio-Liquid for methane production - dried and pressed briquettes for bioenergy

Mastershred offers a technology to valorize biowaste for energy supply. With a mobile compact plant in the size of a container they use novel shredding and squeezing process to produce three fractions from the biowaste:

• a bio-Liquid for methane production
• pressed material for composting, soil improvement or peat replacement
• dried and pressed briquettes for bioenergy

Open access pilot and demo facility providers

Pilots4U Database (Drying)

Pilots4U Database (Evaporation)

Patents

Currently no patents have been identified.