Performance evaluation of an automated hybrid solar system dryer for drying some aromatic herbs

Amer, Alia; Ibrahim, Ayman; Shahin, Aml; Elsebaee, Islam; Saad, Rasha; Hassan, Mohamed F.; Hassan, Zeinab

doi:10.1080/07373937.2024.2308607

Cited by 6 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 31 publications

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“…Moreover, the quality parameters after the drying process achieved their best values at 40 °C for all samples, where the best ML was achieved at 40 °C, while the best EO ratio was noted at 40 °C with values of 3.40, 2.95, 2.76, 1.96, 1.73, and 1.69% for marjoram, sage, lavender, lemongrass, thyme, and basil, respectively. This is consistent with the results obtained by Amer et al (2024) and Ibrahim et al (2023b) for the best drying temperature of 40 °C for the quality characteristics of some medicinal and aromatic plants. Regarding energy consumption, the world struggles to meet its energy needs, considering the high cost of traditional energy and environmental warnings toward reducing GHG emissions.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 92%

Applied insight: studying reducing the carbon footprint of the drying process and its environmental impact and financial return

Ibrahim,

Amer,

Elsebaee

et al. 2024

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.

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Harnessing solar energy is one of the most important practical insights highlighted to mitigate the severe climate change (CC) phenomenon. Therefore, this study aims to focus on the use of hybrid solar dryers (HSDs) within an environmentally friendly framework, which is one of the promising applications of solar thermal technology to replace traditional thermal technology that contributes to increasing the severity of the CC phenomenon. The HSD, based on a traditional electrical energy source (HSTEE) and electrical energy from photovoltaic panels (HSPVSE), was evaluated compared to a traditional electrical (TE) dryer for drying some medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs). This is done by evaluating some of the drying outputs, energy consumed, carbon footprint, and financial return at 30, 40, and 50°C. The best quality of dried MAP samples in terms of essential oil (EO, %) and microbial load was achieved at 40°C. The HSTEE dryer has reduced energy consumption compared to the TE dryer by a percentage ranging from 37% to 54%. The highest CO2 mitigated ratio using the HSTEE dryer was recorded in thyme, marjoram, and lemongrass samples, with values ranging from 45% to 54% at 30, 40, and 50°C. The highest financial return obtained from energy consumption reduction and carbon credit footprint was achieved at 50°C, with values ranging from 5,313.69 to 6,763.03 EGP/year (EGP ≈ 0.0352 USD) when coal was used as a fuel source for the generation of electricity. Moreover, the HSPVSE dryer achieved a 100% reduction in traditional energy consumption and then reduced CO2 emissions by 100%, which led to a 100% financial return from both energy reduction and carbon credit. The highest financial returns were observed at 50°C, with values ranging from 13,872.56 to 15,007.02, 12,927.28 to 13,984.43, and 11,981.99 to 12,961.85 EGP/year (EGP ≈ 0.0352 USD) for coal, oil, and natural gas, respectively. The HS dryers show potential for environmental conservation contribution; furthermore, earning money from energy savings and carbon credit could help improve the living standards and maximize benefits for stakeholders.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 92%