Monograph, Singapore, NUS publisher, 2012, p.176
Drying using solar radiation, i.e. drying under direct sunlight, is one of the oldest
techniques used by mankind to preserve agriculture based food and non-food products.
This form of energy is free, renewable and abundant in any part of the world especially
in tropical countries. However, in order to maximize its advantage and optimize the
efficiency of drying using solar radiation, appropriate technology need to be applied in
order to keep this technique a sustainable one. Such technology is known as solar drying
and is becoming a popular option to replace mechanical thermal dryers owing to the
high cost of fossil fuels which is growing in demand but dwindling in supply. For
sustainability and climate change concerns it is important to use renewable sources of
energy as much as possible.
Various topics in sun and solar drying are discussed in many scientific reports,
research manuscripts and books. Readers are advised to refer to several published
articles available in the Drying Technology – An international Journal and drying books
as well as handbooks edited by Professor Arun S. Mujumdar. A series of e-books have
been initiated by Professor Mujumdar, which is made available for free download at
http://serve.me.nus.edu.sg/arun/. The main objective of these e-books is to make useful
technical literature available for the public, especially for those that have limited access
to expensive reading materials. Such books can also be used by students, academics,
industrial experts and researchers for teaching, learning and research purposes. Free
access to all parts of the globe is expected to enhance the use of renewable energy
resources.
This e-book entitled Solar drying: Fundamentals, Applications and Innovations, is
the latest addition to the current collection of this unique e-book series, is a joint effort
initiated between the Centre of Food and Bio-product Processing, University of
Nottingham, Malaysia Campus and the Transport Phenomena ( TPR) Group, National
University of Singapore. We would like to express our sincere appreciation to the
contributing authors, which are listed following the preface, in their support and
commitment in making this e-book successfully published and available freely on-line.
The content of this e-book can be improved and added with new chapters from time to
time. We welcome any feedback from readers and suggestion from potential authors to
include new chapters in this e-book.
We invite readers to inform their contacts about this free professional service.
Ching Lik Hii, University of Nottingham, Malaysia Campus
Sachin Vinayak Jangam, NUS, Singapore
Sze Pheng Ong, University of Nottingham, Malaysia Campus
Arun Sadashiv Mujumdar, NUS, Singapore
Editors
