Kinetics modeling of the drying of sunflower stem (Helianthus annuus L.) in a forced convection tunnel

7th International Congress of Engineering Physics

物理学;工业技术

López, R.^1 ; Vaca, M.^1 ; Terres, H.^1 ; Lizardi, A.^1 ; Morales, J.^1 ; Flores, J.^1 ; Chávez, S.^1

Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Azcapotzalco, Distrito Federal, Mexico^1

关键词: Helianthus annuus;    Kinetics modeling;    Longitudinal section;    Paper production;    Phytoremediation;    Polluted soils;    Sunflower seeds;    Sunflower stems;   

Others  :  https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/582/1/012018/pdf
DOI  :  10.1088/1742-6596/582/1/012018

学科分类：工业工程学

来源: IOP

【 摘 要 】

The sunflower is an annual plant native to the Americas. It possesses a large inflorescence (flowering head), and its name is derived from the flower's shape and image, which is often used to capture the sun. The plant has a rough, broad, hairy stem, coarsely toothed, with rough leaves, and circular flower heads. The sunflower seeds are appreciated for their oil, which has become a widespread cooking ingredient. Leaves of the sunflower can be used as cattle feed, while the stems contain a fiber that may be used in paper production. Recently this flower has been used in phytoremediation of soils, contaminated with heavy metals. Sunflower has been probed as an efficient phytoextractor of chromium, lead, aluminum, zinc, cadmium from soil. In this work we present the experimental results of the drying of the sunflower stem, cut in 100 mm longitudinal sections, with diameters in the range of 11-18 mm. The aim was to obtain a dry and easy-to-handle final product, since these plants were originally cultivated in order to extract heavy metals from a polluted soil. The dried stems could then be easily confined or sent to recycle premises to concentrate the metals. The drying process was done in forced convection within a hot air tunnel. The used temperature was 60 °C, the velocity of air was 3 m/s and the required times were 8 hours. The initial average wet mass was 28 g and the final value was 5 g, resulting in the aimed product.