Drying

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Technology
21-04-27 Tech4Biowaste rect-p.png
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

Technology comparison
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

Drying provider
General information
Company: 21-04-27 Tech4Biowaste rect-p.png
Country:
Contact:
Webpage:
Technology and process details
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
Other:
Feedstock and product details
Feedstock: Product:

Description of company 1

Mastershred GmbH

Drying provider
General information
Company: Mastershred GmbH Mastershred Wort logo.png
Country: Germany
Contact: Raphael Barth, Managing Director, Tel.: 07173 186-140, Email: barth(at)mastershred.de

Michael Schubert, Managing Director, Tel.: 07173 186-70, Email: schubert(at)mastershred.de

Webpage: https://mastershred.de/
Technology and process details
Technology name: Mastershred 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
Other:
Feedstock and product details
Feedstock: mixed biowaste Product: - Bio-Liquid for methane production

- dried and pressed briquettes for bioenergy

Mastershred offers a technology to valorize biowaste for energy supply. With a mobile compact plant in the size of a container they use novel shredding and squeezing process to produce three fractions from the biowaste:

  • a bio-Liquid for methane production
  • pressed material for composting, soil improvement or peat replacement
  • dried and pressed briquettes for bioenergy

Open access pilot and demo facility providers

Pilots4U Database (Drying)

Pilots4U Database (Evaporation)

Patents

Currently no patents have been identified.

References