Assessment of the integration of solar heat power into food drying processes

Abstract: The long-lasting usage of fossil fuels has brought its negative impact on the planet and thus the society is turning towards more environmentally sustainable solutions in every aspect of life. This master’s thesis discusses the novel topic of integrating concentrated solar thermal collectors, which directly produce steam, to drying processes in the food industry, which is proven to currently emit significant amounts of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs). The aim is to investigate the possible pathways solar thermal can be integrated to the industry, the minimization of fossil fuels usage, the CO2 emissions reduction, and the feasibility of the investment in concentrating thermal collectors’ fields. To achieve so, many visits have taken place to one of the most distinguished food industries in Greece, and in collaboration with it and the companies Absolicon and MG Sustainable in Sweden, a process layout is proposed that shows a steam mass flow reduction for the same yield, as well as CO2 emissions reduction and the economical feasibility for the implementation of the solar field.