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Assessing thermal and economic performance of solar dryers in sustainable strategies for bottle gourd and tomato preservation

The traditional approach of open-sun drying is facing contemporary challenges arising from the widespread adoption of energy-intensive methods and the quality of drying. In response, solar dryers have emerged as a sustainable alternative, utilizing solar thermal energy to effectively dehydrate veget...

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Main Authors:	Suraparaju S.K., Elangovan E., Muthuvairavan G., Samykano M., Elumalai P.V., Natarajan S.K., Rajamony R.K., Balasubramanian D., Fouad Y., Soudagar M.E.M., Miao Z., Sivalingam K.M.
Other Authors:	57210569066
Format:	Article
Published:	Nature Research 2025
Subjects:	article controlled study dehydration diffusivity dried food dust energy conservation harvest human Lagenaria siceraria moisture pharmaceutics sun temperature thermodynamics tomato vegetable
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spelling	my.uniten.dspace-361382025-03-03T15:41:26Z Assessing thermal and economic performance of solar dryers in sustainable strategies for bottle gourd and tomato preservation Suraparaju S.K. Elangovan E. Muthuvairavan G. Samykano M. Elumalai P.V. Natarajan S.K. Rajamony R.K. Balasubramanian D. Fouad Y. Soudagar M.E.M. Miao Z. Sivalingam K.M. 57210569066 57221672303 57315326900 57192878324 57221721602 52063666500 57218845246 57216540767 6603123645 57194384501 59412477100 57994104800 article controlled study dehydration diffusivity dried food dust energy conservation harvest human Lagenaria siceraria moisture pharmaceutics sun temperature thermodynamics tomato vegetable The traditional approach of open-sun drying is facing contemporary challenges arising from the widespread adoption of energy-intensive methods and the quality of drying. In response, solar dryers have emerged as a sustainable alternative, utilizing solar thermal energy to effectively dehydrate vegetables. This study investigates the performance of a single-basin, double-slope solar dryer utilizing natural convection for drying bottle gourds and tomatoes, presenting a sustainable alternative to traditional open-sun drying. The solar dryer exhibited superior moisture removal efficiency, achieving a 94.42% reduction in tomatoes and 83.87% in bottle gourds, compared to open-sun drying. Drying rates were significantly enhanced, with maximum air and plate temperatures reaching 54.42��C and 63.38��C, respectively, accelerating the dehydration process. Moisture diffusivity analysis revealed a marked improvement in drying behavior under solar drying, with values ranging from 3.12 ? 10?11 to 4.31 ? 10?11 m2/s for bottle gourds, and 4.65 ? 10?11 to 2.31 ? 10?11 m2/s for tomatoes. Energy efficiency assessments highlighted the solar dryer?s advantage, with exergy efficiency peaking at 61.78% for bottle gourds and 68.5% for tomatoes. Furthermore, the activation energy required for drying was significantly lower in the solar dryer (29.14?46.41�kJ/mol for bottle gourds and 27.16?55.42�kJ/mol for tomatoes) compared to open-sun drying, enhancing energy conservation. Visual inspections confirmed the superior quality of the solar-dried vegetables, free from dust and impurities. An economic analysis underscored the system?s viability, with payback periods of 2 years for bottle gourds and 1.6 years for tomatoes. Overall, this study demonstrates the efficacy of solar dryers in optimizing vegetable preservation while promoting energy efficiency, aligning with global sustainability goals by reducing post-harvest losses and supporting eco-friendly practices. ? The Author(s) 2024. Final 2025-03-03T07:41:26Z 2025-03-03T07:41:26Z 2024 Article 10.1038/s41598-024-78147-2 2-s2.0-85209212464 https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85209212464&doi=10.1038%2fs41598-024-78147-2&partnerID=40&md5=9220ed5612d4484ce99e76a8f3143f69 https://irepository.uniten.edu.my/handle/123456789/36138 14 1 27755 All Open Access; Gold Open Access; Green Open Access Nature Research Scopus
institution	Universiti Tenaga Nasional
building	UNITEN Library
collection	Institutional Repository
continent	Asia
country	Malaysia
content_provider	Universiti Tenaga Nasional
content_source	UNITEN Institutional Repository
url_provider	http://dspace.uniten.edu.my/
topic	article controlled study dehydration diffusivity dried food dust energy conservation harvest human Lagenaria siceraria moisture pharmaceutics sun temperature thermodynamics tomato vegetable
spellingShingle	article controlled study dehydration diffusivity dried food dust energy conservation harvest human Lagenaria siceraria moisture pharmaceutics sun temperature thermodynamics tomato vegetable Suraparaju S.K. Elangovan E. Muthuvairavan G. Samykano M. Elumalai P.V. Natarajan S.K. Rajamony R.K. Balasubramanian D. Fouad Y. Soudagar M.E.M. Miao Z. Sivalingam K.M. Assessing thermal and economic performance of solar dryers in sustainable strategies for bottle gourd and tomato preservation
description	The traditional approach of open-sun drying is facing contemporary challenges arising from the widespread adoption of energy-intensive methods and the quality of drying. In response, solar dryers have emerged as a sustainable alternative, utilizing solar thermal energy to effectively dehydrate vegetables. This study investigates the performance of a single-basin, double-slope solar dryer utilizing natural convection for drying bottle gourds and tomatoes, presenting a sustainable alternative to traditional open-sun drying. The solar dryer exhibited superior moisture removal efficiency, achieving a 94.42% reduction in tomatoes and 83.87% in bottle gourds, compared to open-sun drying. Drying rates were significantly enhanced, with maximum air and plate temperatures reaching 54.42��C and 63.38��C, respectively, accelerating the dehydration process. Moisture diffusivity analysis revealed a marked improvement in drying behavior under solar drying, with values ranging from 3.12 ? 10?11 to 4.31 ? 10?11 m2/s for bottle gourds, and 4.65 ? 10?11 to 2.31 ? 10?11 m2/s for tomatoes. Energy efficiency assessments highlighted the solar dryer?s advantage, with exergy efficiency peaking at 61.78% for bottle gourds and 68.5% for tomatoes. Furthermore, the activation energy required for drying was significantly lower in the solar dryer (29.14?46.41�kJ/mol for bottle gourds and 27.16?55.42�kJ/mol for tomatoes) compared to open-sun drying, enhancing energy conservation. Visual inspections confirmed the superior quality of the solar-dried vegetables, free from dust and impurities. An economic analysis underscored the system?s viability, with payback periods of 2 years for bottle gourds and 1.6 years for tomatoes. Overall, this study demonstrates the efficacy of solar dryers in optimizing vegetable preservation while promoting energy efficiency, aligning with global sustainability goals by reducing post-harvest losses and supporting eco-friendly practices. ? The Author(s) 2024.
author2	57210569066
author_facet	57210569066 Suraparaju S.K. Elangovan E. Muthuvairavan G. Samykano M. Elumalai P.V. Natarajan S.K. Rajamony R.K. Balasubramanian D. Fouad Y. Soudagar M.E.M. Miao Z. Sivalingam K.M.
format	Article
author	Suraparaju S.K. Elangovan E. Muthuvairavan G. Samykano M. Elumalai P.V. Natarajan S.K. Rajamony R.K. Balasubramanian D. Fouad Y. Soudagar M.E.M. Miao Z. Sivalingam K.M.
author_sort	Suraparaju S.K.
title	Assessing thermal and economic performance of solar dryers in sustainable strategies for bottle gourd and tomato preservation
title_short	Assessing thermal and economic performance of solar dryers in sustainable strategies for bottle gourd and tomato preservation
title_full	Assessing thermal and economic performance of solar dryers in sustainable strategies for bottle gourd and tomato preservation
title_fullStr	Assessing thermal and economic performance of solar dryers in sustainable strategies for bottle gourd and tomato preservation
title_full_unstemmed	Assessing thermal and economic performance of solar dryers in sustainable strategies for bottle gourd and tomato preservation
title_sort	assessing thermal and economic performance of solar dryers in sustainable strategies for bottle gourd and tomato preservation
publisher	Nature Research
publishDate	2025
_version_	1825816097358610432
score	13.244413

Assessing thermal and economic performance of solar dryers in sustainable strategies for bottle gourd and tomato preservation

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