Development of drying kinetics of moringa oleifera leaves in a combined heat pump - microwave system

Abstract

Nowadays, energy saving and environmental friendly technologies
applied to drying processes is highly paid attention, especially for the
natural products. Thus, novel and integrated technologies in
processing of natural products are paid attention. In this study, the
drying of M. oleifera leaves at low temperatures in a combined heat
pump-microwave system is carried out. Due to the role of heat pump
and microwave power, drying processes can be operated at low
temperatures, high drying rates while the quality of the dried products
such as vitamins, protein and color can be preserved. Experiments at
different temperatures (35, 40, and 45oC) and different drying air
velocities (0.575, 0.74, and 0.9 m/s) were conducted to find the
effective operating conditions. The drying kinetic model of Moringa
Oleifera leaves in a heat pump-microwave assisted system was then
proposed for the application of process control and scale-up design.