SolSorpDry: Development of a mobile and fossil-free sorption drying plant

In food production, fossil fuels are still predominantly used to meet demand, which is accompanied by significant emissions of climate-damaging greenhouse gases. Drying is one of the most energy-intensive processes in the food industry and furthermore it is also critical for product quality, since the drying process must be precisely adapted for the respective product to be dried. The drying of agricultural products such as herbs, garlic or spices, for example, requires a particularly gentle and uniform drying process in order to achieve high product quality. However, the majority of Styrian herb and spice producers have no or unsuitable drying facilities, which can have a negative impact on product quality.

Therefore, the aim of the SolSorpDry project is to develop an overall concept for a mobile drying plant with 100% renewable energy supply from an optimized combination of a sorption storage system as an open moving bed system with solar thermal energy, heat recovery and photovoltaics, which can be adapted to different drying products. In order to achieve high product quality with the lowest possible energy input, the project also aims to develop an intelligent control concept that optimally operates the hybrid supply system and can take varying operating conditions with regard to weather and properties of the drying goods into account.

The goal is to develop a flexible drying solution with high availability for regional producers. The Styrian core partners Agrant GmbH and the province of Styria support the project and ensure a high degree of user proximity in order to guarantee scalability and transferability.