Drying Solanum lycopersicum (Tomatoes) in greenhouse solar dryer: An eco-environmental study

Year 2024, Volume: 10 Issue: 4, 811 - 825, 29.07.2024

Pringal M. Patel Vikram P. Rathod Divyesh Patel

Abstract

Fruits and vegetables are an important part of human diet. In the present study, the thermal performance of a solar greenhouse dryer for drying Solanum lycopersicum (Tomatoes) was analyzed. The drying pattern at various locations of the drying chamber and different levels of the dryer was evaluated. The life cost analysis for drying the tomatoes in the dryer for 25 years of service was evaluated. The greenhouse solar dryer was developed with a structure base of galvanized iron pipes and a covering of a 2 mm thick polycarbonate sheet. The experiment was carried out for drying the tomatoes at various locations in the dryer using the trays and trolley system. The maximum thermal efficiency of the dryer is 26.66 % while drying out 5.8 kgs of tomatoes in one day. The economic analysis of the greenhouse solar dryer shows that the payback period of such a system can be attained in only 1.6 years which terms the dryer feasible and economically viable in the current agro-drying market. The embodied energy for the dryer was calculated at 3154.71 kWh for the system. The CO2 emission for the greenhouse solar dryer was found to be around 6.62 tonnes for a lifespan of 25 years. The net CO2 mitigation was calculated at around 41.62 tonnes which would generate an earning from 46766 INR to 62355 INR worth of carbon credits.

Keywords

Agriculture, Carbon Emission, Embodied Energy, Greenhouse, Life-cost, Payback, Solar Dryer

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