Drying process on kaffir lime leaves using microwave: Evaluation of the drying performance and energy analysis of different microwave powers and sizes of leaves

Abstract

This study aims to determine the optimal microwave power and leaf size by evaluating the drying kinetics model, considering visual appearance, and determining energy consumption (EPW) and specific energy consumption (SEC). The sample will be dried in a batch of 10 g with varied microwave power used for drying (136, 264, 440, 616 W) and three categories of the average size of the sample. Seven thin layer drying kinetics models: Lewis, Page, Logarithmic, Henderson–Pabis, Approximal of diffusion, Verma, and Midilli–Kucuk will be compared for best fitness to experimental data by evaluating five statistical and error functions: SSE, R2, RMSE, χ2, and MSE. Midilli–Kucuk model best fit experimental data with calculation constant a from 0.9656 to 1.0502, b from 2.7403×10−5 to 0.0006, k from 0.0008 to 0.0222, and n from 0.8188 to 1.5755. The total energy and specific energy consumption showed fluctuating values in varying drying times, and microwave power with the most optimum setting is drying the large-sized sample in 264 W.

Keywords

• Energy consumption of microwave
• Kaffir lime leaves
• Modeling kinetics of drying
• Microwave-assisted drying
• Specific energy consumption