New Experimental Rotary Dryer of Olive Stone: Design, Control and Modeling

Drying is the most important process to treat olive oil mill wastes. Olive stone is a by-product obtained in the olive oil extraction process. Crushed olive stone is separated from olive oil mill waste in the olive oil mills by means of mechanical procedures. Olive stone is mainly used as a biomass product for generating thermal energy for space heating in commercial buildings, residences and homes. Olive stone moisture content ranges from 20 to 30% (wet basis). Drying of olive stone is fundamental for its revaluation as biofuel, and the vast majority of this by-product is dried in rotary dryers. To improve the drying efficiency of olive stone in these dryers, we have designed and modeled an experimental rotary dryer that is intended to solve the heat and mass transfer equation in the sectioned models, both in a steady-state model and transient model, and to contribute to the development of a control system that is much more perfect.