Drying
| Technology | |
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| 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
Origin and composition
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
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Company 1 | Germany | Cologne | Freeze drying | Powerdry 5000 | 9 | 0.00138 | 100 | 1 | -20 | 0.0004 | ● | ● |
| Company 2 | France | Paris | Nitrogen drying | Nitrodry | 9 | 0.003 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 20 | 1 | ● | ● |
Company 1
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| Technology name: | 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 |
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Description of company 1
Mastershred GmbH
Description of company 2
Open access pilot and demo facility providers
Pilots4U Database (Evaporation)
Patents
Currently no patents have been identified.