Solar Thermal Energy for Industrial Process Heating Applications

Abstract

In this chapter, the application of solar-powered heat in the medicinal and pharmaceutical industries is explained and presented. The sector consumes an enormous amount of thermal and electrical energy for its various processes, including distillation, sizing, palletizing, and drying. Among all these processes, the drying process consumes a higher amount of energy due to the removal of water from the products and the preparation of the granules for tablets and capsules. The energy demand and the range of working temperatures for the various pharmaceutical processes are given. Process temperatures up to 120 °C can be easily achievable by solar thermal energy technology. The selection of a suitable solar thermal collector and the integration concept of solar thermal technology for the various pharmaceutical processes is studied and discussed. The case studies integrated with the solar thermal technologies in the various pharma industries are reviewed and presented. After that, the application of solar energy in ayurvedic drug development is also discussed and presented. Finally, adopting and integrating solar thermal technologies into the pharmaceutical industries is a viable option to reduce fuel costs and emissions to the atmosphere.