Solar Dryer Application for Olive Oil Mill Wastes

Irene Montero, María Teresa Miranda, Francisco José Sepúlveda, José Ignacio Arranz, Carmen Victoria Rojas and Sergio Nogales
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Irene Montero: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Energy and Materials, Industrial Engineering School, University of Extremadura, Av. Elvas s/n, 06006 Badajoz, Spain
María Teresa Miranda: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Energy and Materials, Industrial Engineering School, University of Extremadura, Av. Elvas s/n, 06006 Badajoz, Spain
Francisco José Sepúlveda: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Energy and Materials, Industrial Engineering School, University of Extremadura, Av. Elvas s/n, 06006 Badajoz, Spain
José Ignacio Arranz: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Energy and Materials, Industrial Engineering School, University of Extremadura, Av. Elvas s/n, 06006 Badajoz, Spain
Carmen Victoria Rojas: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Energy and Materials, Industrial Engineering School, University of Extremadura, Av. Elvas s/n, 06006 Badajoz, Spain
Sergio Nogales: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Energy and Materials, Industrial Engineering School, University of Extremadura, Av. Elvas s/n, 06006 Badajoz, Spain

Energies, 2015, vol. 8, issue 12, 1-15

Abstract: Global waste production has raised recently due to numerous agricultural and industrial activities. Among other actions devoted to waste reduction, revaluation seems to be the most advantageous one from an environmental and economic point of view. In the olive oil sector, by-product management (namely olive pomace, olive mill wastewater, and sludge residue) poses serious problems for companies, with the energy use of these wastes being a feasible option to solve these problems. Due to their high moisture content, drying constitutes the main stage for a possible bio-fuel conversion. This research work deals with the analysis of drying for the three main wastes from olive oil by using a prototype dryer. This equipment has different working regimes depending on the kind of convection (natural or forced for passive and active mode, respectively), the incidence of solar radiation on the product (indirect or mixed type) and the use of an additional system for energy supply (hybrid type). From the results, it could be said that all the wastes were suitable for solar drying. However, drying conditions were different for each case. Olive pomace and olive mill wastewater showed promising results for solar drying application in mixed active mode. Concerning sludge residue, its special physical structure could employ the use of turners for drying, in order to improve heat transfer to the product. Moreover, hybrid active mode enabled a considerable reduction in drying time, being an aspect to take into account for its use during low solar radiation or at night time.

Keywords: drying kinetics; thin layer; olive pomace; olive mill wastewater; sludge residue (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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