Agricultural solid wastes for green desiccant applications: an overview of research achievements, opportunities and perspectives

Abstract

Rapid industrialization created an unending production of agricultural wastes. The utilization of agricultural solid wastes as an energy source or converted material is proposed as a viable solution of reducing pollution and improving the economy. The substitution of agricultural solid wastes for chemical desiccants is a research area that requires careful study. Desiccant-cooling systems have discussed as an applied example for green desiccant application. This work will attempt to study the role and prospect of green desiccants in desiccant-cooling systems from agricultural waste material. One of the most important steps in evaluating agricultural waste application is the collection of comprehensive data on the chemical and physical structures and properties of the waste materials. This study reveals that the experimental characterization is required to determine whether or not agricultural solid wastes are viable desiccants. Characterizations identify the specific treatments necessary to make these materials more efficient. Studies show the porosity enhancement which provides more accessible areas and increasing the number of hydrophilic site on the material will increase its viability for water absorption properties. The findings of this paper enable scholars to optimize both the costs and the technical performance of agricultural solid wastes as desiccant materials. The challenges and some recommendations regarding the application of agricultural wastes as desiccant materials are presented as well.