TREATMENT OF POLLEN BY FLUIDIZATION

This work is divided into two distinct parts: i) a study of the cleani ng of pollen by entrainment with air and determination of the paramete rs that permit efficient levels of separation; and ii) a consideration of the drying of pollen by fluidization and an assessment of its effe ct on product quality. The pollen utilized consisted of fresh material , collected from traps in beehives, and characterized in terms of orga nic and inorganic materials. The physical properties of each of these materials, as well as their respective hydrodynamic behaviour when fui dized, were determined. Based on a statistical experiment design, it w as found that superficial air velocity and pollen inventory in the dry er are major factors that affect cleaning. Results also show that the drying of pollen by fluidization is controlled by transport within the particles and, therefore, temperature was the major factor affecting drying rate and the one which determined product quality.