Banana dryer using renewable energy

Abstract

Currently, there is a lot of environmental pollution, including the air that causes problems in the production of dried food, resulting in more impurities, such as unclean air, PM2.5 dust, polluted air from various factories, exhaust fumes, and unseasonal rain. The resulting problems cause physical and mental health problems for both the person and the person who eats it. Therefore, researchers are interested in solving this problem by studying the creation of a banana dryer using renewable energy. The heat from the light bulbs from solar energy that generates electricity from solar panels and the heat from light bulbs that use electricity in general households can safely dry food by using bananas as dried food. Because bananas are a fruit that many households grow and are easy to find, they can be processed to store for a longer period of time or can be sold to generate income for the family.

The test results showed that drying bananas with a 12V 120W solar panel alone would take more than 4 hours. The moisture inside the bananas was still there, so when eating, they would still be moist. The measured humidity temperature was around 73%. For using a 100-watt and 60-watt light bulb, the drying time was 3 hours. The result was that with a 60-watt light bulb, some moisture remained inside the bananas, so when eating, they would not feel dry or too tough. The measured humidity temperature was around 66%.