Design and development of a water hyacinth (Eichornia crassiper (Mart.) Solms) dryer
2014
Carmelo, W.H. | Cosico, L.A. | Eusebio, G.A.
A water hyacinth dryer (WHD) was designed and developed for drying water hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms) stalks. The dryer is panelized and its design principle involves free convective heat transfers. It is wood-fired and manually operated, and has two main features: the metal cabinet and the heating system. The facility was tested for drying freshly harvested and pre-dried WH stalks. Trial runs indicated that drying pre-dried WH stalks resulted in a 40% increase in loading capacity, 33.85% reduction in wood fuel consumption and 50% reduction in drying time. The drying cost per stalk was estimated at USD 0.0082 and USD 0.0035 for freshly harvested and pre-dried WH, respectively. The panelized design of the WHD facilitated transport and installation. Three grants from government and non-government organizations, 10 WHDs were fabricated and installed in various organizations/cooperatives located in water hyacinth-infested areas in the Philippines. The beneficiaries of the technology and the established drying procedure were also discussed.
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