Abstract
The objectives of this study were to describe the process of drying niger seeds through the fitting of different mathematical models to the experimental drying data, to select the best model that represents the phenomenon, and to determine the diffusion coefficients and thermodynamic properties of the product. Seeds with an initial moisture content of 30% (wet basis) were collected and dried at 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80 oC in a fixed bed experimental dryer. After drying, different mathematical models were fitted to determine the diffusion coefficient by applying liquid diffusion theory, which allowed for calculation of the energy activation, enthalpy, entropy, and Gibbs free energy values. The Page model was selected to represent the drying process of niger seed drying, as it is a traditional and simpler model. The effective diffusion coefficient increased as the temperature increased. The activation energy for liquid diffusion at the temperature range of 40 to 80 oC was 46.83 kJ mol-1. The enthalpy and entropy specific values decreased as the drying air temperature increased. The Gibbs free energy values also increased as the drying air temperature increased.
Highlights
Niger (Guizotia abyssinica Cass) is an annual erect shrub that is mainly cultivated because of the high oil content of the seeds
Oleaginous plants have been introduced as winter crops in Brazil, especially in the CentralWest region of the country, in areas previously under fallow; niger ranging from 30% to 40% in oil content (Ghane et al, 2012; Ramadan 2012) has a great potential to be cultivated in this region (Gordin et al, 2012)
These parameters were used in the comparisons for the eight models, which were fit according to the experimental moisture ratio data obtained during the drying of niger seeds at different temperatures
Summary
Niger (Guizotia abyssinica Cass) is an annual erect shrub that is mainly cultivated because of the high oil content of the seeds. Some countries that use large amounts of vegetable oil, such as Ethiopia and India, are major producers of this crop, and cultivate it in conventional agricultural systems. Oleaginous plants have been introduced as winter crops in Brazil, especially in the CentralWest region of the country, in areas previously under fallow; niger ranging from 30% to 40% in oil content (Ghane et al, 2012; Ramadan 2012) has a great potential to be cultivated in this region (Gordin et al, 2012). Drying consists of the removal of excess water contained in the seed by evaporation, which is generally achieved by forced convection of warm air
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