Product Design of an Indirect Banded Rotary Dryer for Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) With Evaluation of Drying Performance and Product Quality

Raising black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) on organic streams is gaining popularity among small‐scale farmers, especially in middle‐income nations. Proper drying of BSFL is essential to prevent microbial spoilage and the degradation of proteins and fats, while also ensuring a long service life of the dryer, minimal material usage, and reduced overall costs. Microwave drying has uneven heat distribution, while oven drying causes quality loss due to long drying times. To address these challenges, customized banded heaters on the rotary dryer were used to maintain a uniform temperature distribution in the drying zone, thereby improving the quality of the dried larvae. A slip ring transmitted power to these heaters. A finite element model was developed in ANSYS to carry out thermomechanical analysis, optimizing the thickness of the stainless steel dryer to withstand more than 10 6 operating cycles. A prototype was developed and underwent thermal validation. The prototype was tested and evaluated for the maximum throughput for the indirect rotary dryer, demonstrating a 46% improvement in throughput over microwave drying and a 10% improvement over hot air oven drying. Additionally, the results indicated superior quality for the dried BSFL compared to conventional drying methods, which offered a promising solution for small‐scale farmers.