Solar greenhouse dryer system for wood chips improvement as biofuel

Published Date
Journal of Cleaner Production
1 November 2016, Vol.135:1233–1241, doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.07.036

• Author 

• Alberto-Jesús Perea-Moreno ^a
• Adel Juaidi ^b
• Francisco Manzano-Agugliaro ^b,c,,

• aDepartment of Applied Physics, University of Cordoba, CEIA3, Campus de Rabanales, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
• bDepartment of Engineering, University of Almeria, CEIA3, 04120 Almeria, Spain
• cCIAIMBITAL (Research Center on Mediteranean Intensive Agrosystems and Agrifood Biotechnology), University of Almeria, 04120 Almeria, Spain

Received 28 April 2016. Revised 4 July 2016. Accepted 6 July 2016. Available online 7 July 2016. 

Highlights

• •
  Solar dryers are considered as clean technologies because only use solar energy.
• •
  A solar greenhouse dryer was used for drying wood chips of Pinus pinaster.
• •
  Several piles of wood chips were compared in outdoor and indoor conditions.
• •
  The results show the advantages of the Solar Greenhouse Dryer.
• •
  The use of the solar greenhouse dryers allow to improve the wood chips as biofuel.

Abstract

The development of cleaner and renewable energy sources are needed in order to reduce fossil fuel dependence and mitigate global warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Solar dryers are considered as clean technologies and optimal use of these can minimize the use of non-renewable energy, and can play an important role in the world's future. Drying for forest products is one of the most attractive and cost effective application of solar energy because it may be possible to improve forest residues in profitable biomass as biofuel. In this study, a solar greenhouse dryer was used in drying experiments of wood chips of Pinus pinaster in the south of Spain. The environmental conditions were under autumn season with an average daily solar radiation of 13.74 MJ/(m² d) during the 15 days of the experiment. The experiment analyzed the drying process under indoor conditions of several piles of wood chips which was compared to the same shaped piles under open sun drying. The results were mathematically modelled to show the advantages of the Solar Greenhouse Dryer for both, to reach the 10% of relative humidity and fewer days were dedicated for this. Thus, these analyses reveal that the Solar Greenhouse Dryer is a useful and vital technology for the improvement of wood chips as biofuel, it reduces moisture, and it can be applied in many countries because of the fact that it only uses solar energy; it is a renewable energy resource which is both free and clean.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

• Solar dryer
• Drying technique
• Biomass
• Wood chip
• Open sun drying

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• ∗ 
  Corresponding author. Department of Engineering, University of Almeria, CEIA3, 04120 Almeria, Spain.

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http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652616309246