Call for partners | Increasing DRYing efficiency and closing steam LOOPs in the food industry (DRYLOOP)

The DRYLOOP project aims to improve energy efficiency in drying processes by assessing three different approaches. The first is recovering and reusing steam that is liberated during drying. The focus will be on evaluating the feasibility of recovery and upgrading the steam for direct reuse. Upgrading consists of cleaning the recovered steam and applying mechanical vapour recompression (MVR) to increase the steam temperature to the required level. 

The second approach investigates treatments that can increase subsequent drying rates and enhance heat recovery in conventional drying methods. Treatments considered include pulsed electric field (PEF) and ultrasound, which can improve mass transfer by increasing the outgoing water flux and thereby reducing drying time. In addition to assessing drying kinetics, product quality attributes such as colour, texture, and structural integrity will be evaluated after drying. 

The third approach explores the use of superheated steam as an alternative to conventional hot air drying. Superheated steam could enable nearly 100% recovery of evaporation heat, as surplus steam can be more easily recovered compared to moisture from air. Reported net energy consumption can be as low as 10–20% of the energy consumption of hot air drying. Furthermore, the oxygen-free atmosphere of superheated steam can help prevent oxidation. For this approach, a dedicated dryer will be developed to perform drying experiments and different temperature and pressure. Drying kinetics and product quality will be evaluated. The DRYLOOP project will address these approaches through experimental studies, process modelling, and techno-economic evaluations to develop energy-efficient drying and evaporation solutions suitable for industrial food processing.