Modeling and thermodynamic properties of ‘bacaba’ pulp drying

ABSTRACT This study aimed to dry ‘bacaba’ (Oenocarpus bacaba Mart.) pulp under different thermal conditions, fit different mathematical models to the dehydration curves, and calculate the diffusion coefficients, activation energy and thermodynamic properties of the process. ‘Bacaba’ fruits were meshed to obtain the pulp, which was dried at temperatures of 40, 50 and 60 °C and with thickness of 1.0 cm. Increase in drying temperature reduced the dehydration times, as well as the equilibrium moisture contents, and drying rates of 0.65, 1.04 and 1.25 kg kg min-1 were recorded at the beginning of the process for temperatures of 40, 50 and 60 °C, respectively. The Midilli’s equation was selected as the most appropriate to predict the drying phenomenon, showing the highest R2, lowest values of mean square deviation (MSD) and χ2 under most thermal conditions, and random distribution of residuals under all experimental conditions. The effective diffusion coefficients increased with increasing temperature, with magnitudes of the order of 10-9 m2 s-1, being satisfactorily described by the Arrhenius equation, which showed activation energy (Ea) of 37.01 kJ mol-1. The drying process was characterized as endergonic, in which enthalpy (ΔH) and entropy (ΔS) reduced with the increment of temperature, while Gibbs free energy (ΔG) was increased.