Assessing the feasibility of recovering heat from Mung Bean sprout production for food consumption

Abstract

Given the current challenges posed by climate change and depletion of conventional fuel resources, there is a need to focus on improving energy efficiency through the recovery of waste energy. One such potential source of low-temperature waste heat is the process of seed germination during food plant cultivation. In traditional production facilities, germinating plants generate low-temperature heat (20–40 °C), which is typically discharged into the environment. This paper presents a study on the heat recovery potential of germinating Mung bean seeds under laboratory and controlled cultivation conditions using an isothermal calorimeter and a process line, respectively. This study represents the first quantitative determination of the heat generated during the Mung bean sprout production cycle, and a comparison of the changes in emitted heat on both micro and macro scales. Additionally, the research includes the first determination of the amount of energy generated by Mung bean sprouts using microcalorimetric studies lasting up as long as 120 h. The paper determines the amount of heat generated and estimates the possible and actual heat recovery potential. The results show that the average amount of heat generated in the calorimetric studies is 2.43±0.72 kJ/gseeds, while under controlled cultivation conditions it is 2.29 kJ/gseed. These findings highlight the significant potential for recovering waste heat from germinating seeds, which can be harnessed to improve the energy efficiency of the food sprout production process. In addition, the calorimetric method is suitable for determining the energy potential of plants and facilitating the design of the most efficient crop cultivation techniques in terms of energy consumption.