Pumpkin peel dehydration using a fluidized bed contactor: a technical and environmental study

MARÍA CELIA ROMÁN; ISIDE MUT; MARCELO ECHEGARAY; MARÍA PAULA FABANI; GERMÁN MAZZA; ROSA ANA RODRIGUEZ

BIOMASS CONVERSION AND BIOREFINERY

Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature

Lugar: Berlín; Año: 2024 p. 1 - 16

2190-6815

Pumpkin peel (PP) containsprotein, fiber, and other nutrients, transforming it into an important foodsource. Considering these beneficial characteristics, the work aims to valorizeit through dehydration in a fluidizedbed contactor. Dehydration of PP cubes was carried out at 60 and 70 ºC, and the beneficial characteristics ofthe PP were studied. The dehydration effect (for both temperatures) on thenutritional characteristics was negligible. The minimum air velocity in the fluidizedbed contactor was experimentally determined,finding a value of 1.64 m s-1. Dincer and Dost´s model was used todetermine the mass transfer characteristics. Water transfer is governed byinternal and external resistance. The obtained values of effective diffusivityand mass transfer were in the ranges from 15.01×10−9 to 17.83×10−9m2s-1 and from 2.51×10−6 to 4.30×10−6 m s-1,respectively. The technical and environmental evaluation of dehydration wascarried out by exergetic analysis. The exergy efficiency and dehydration timedecrease with the temperature, conversely, the environmental impact increases. Despiteobserving slight nutritional variations, this study recommended drying at 70 °Cbecause the water activity is favorable and its dehydration time is shorter dueto the increase of diffusion and mass transfer coefficients.