Recent Advancements in Technical Design and Thermal Performance Enhancement of Solar Greenhouse Dryers

Shiva Gorjian, Behnam Hosseingholilou, Laxmikant D. Jathar, Haniyeh Samadi, Samiran Samanta, Atul A. Sagade, Karunesh Kant and Ravishankar Sathyamurthy
Additional contact information
Shiva Gorjian: Biosystems Engineering Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University (TMU), Tehran 14115-111, Iran
Behnam Hosseingholilou: Biosystems Engineering Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University (TMU), Tehran 14115-111, Iran
Laxmikant D. Jathar: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College of Engineering and Research Pune, Maharashtra 412207, India
Haniyeh Samadi: Biosystems Engineering Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University (TMU), Tehran 14115-111, Iran
Samiran Samanta: School of Mechanical Engineering, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar 751024, India
Atul A. Sagade: Laboratorio de Investigaciones Ambientales Zonas Áridas, Departamento de Ingeniería Mecánica, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica 1775, Chile
Karunesh Kant: Institut Pascal, University Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, SIGMA Clermont, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
Ravishankar Sathyamurthy: Department of Mechanical Engineering, KPR Institute of Engineering and Technology, Arasur, Coimbatore 641407, India

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 13, 1-32

Abstract: The food industry is responsible for supplying the food demand of the ever-increasing global population. The food chain is one of the major contributors to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and global food waste accounts for one-third of produced food. A solution to this problem is preserving crops, vegetables, and fruits with the help of an ancient method of sun drying. For drying agricultural and marine products, several types of dryers are also being developed. However, they require a large amount of energy supplied conventionally from pollutant energy sources. The environmental concerns and depletion risks of fossil fuels persuade researchers and developers to seek alternative solutions. To perform drying applications, sustainable solar power may be effective because it is highly accessible in most regions of the world. Greenhouse dryers (GHDs) are simple facilities that can provide large capacities for drying agricultural products. This study reviews the integration of GHDs with different solar technologies, including photovoltaic (PV), photovoltaic-thermal (PVT), and solar thermal collectors. Additionally, the integration of solar-assisted greenhouse dryers (SGHDs) with heat pumps and thermal energy storage (TES) units, as well as their hybrid configuration considering integration with other renewable energy sources, is investigated to improve their thermal performance. In this regard, this review presents and discusses the most recent advances in this field. Additionally, the economic analysis of SGHDs is presented as a key factor to make these sustainable facilities commercially available.

Keywords: agricultural products; solar drying; greenhouse dryers; energy storage; performance enhancement (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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