DESIGN AND TESTING OF SOLAR DRYERS FOR PROCESSING FOOD WASTES

This paper investigates the potential of using two solar dryers manufa ctured from locally available materials under Jordanian climatic condi tions for drying food wastes for utilization as animal feed. The first dryer is a radiative-convective type while the second is a solar boil er dryer. Tests were also conducted to investigate the nutritious valu es of the dried products and their suitability as animal feed. It was found from tests that the solar boiler dryer is more efficient than th e radiative-convective dryer for producing animal feed in terms of bot h quality and quantity. The nutritious values of the end products from the dryers were found to be within the international recommended valu es used for feeding chickens. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All right s reserved.