Quintas Biomass Dehydrator

The Quintas biomass dehydrator is designed to dry agricultural produce. This simple device does not use complicated temperature and flow controls, and can be assembled on site with the capacity to burn approximatelty 7.06kg of biomass per-hour. The dried goods can then be packaged for sale.

The technology is straightforward: Flue gases from the gasifier are made to pass through a heat exchanger, from which heat energy is transferred to the incoming fresh air from the blower. The spatial separation of the flue gases and fresh air in the heat exchanger allow for an indirect heating process, producing pollution-free hot air. It is this clean, hot air that is delivered into the drying chamber and used to dry grains, seeds, fruits, vegetables chips, and other agricultural goods to the desired moisture content before packaging. An additional feature of Quintas is the complete separation of dry material from the drying gases.

Empirical studies show that about 40% of agricultural produce in Nigeria is lost as post-harvest wastage. This is because farmers often reside in rural areas with a lack of clean energy, potable water and good road networks. These farmers rely on sun drying as the major means of preservation of their harvests, with its attendant exposure to contamination and vagaries of weather. If the food begins to spoil, peasant farmers then have to sell their goods at the buyers’ price.

This technology aims to provide an efficient and cheap heat energy source for agro-processing at farms onsite, while also reducing deforestation and providing an effective and efficient means of disposal of biomass wastes. It further reduces smoke and particulate emissions by using biomass products and contaminations resulting from sun drying procedures.

Publicly available: Yes
Countries where available: Nigeria
Price range: Over 200 USD
Offered or can be licensed for local manufacture: No