Effect of Air Velocity and Temperature on the Drying Kinetics of Drumstick Leaves (Moringa Oleifera)

The present study examines the effect of air velocity on drying kinetics of the drumstick leaves in a forced convective dryer. The drumstick leaves were dried in the temperature range of 50–800 C, at different air velocity (Dv) of 0.5 and 1.3 m/s. The results indicated that drying temperature and air velocity are the factors in controlling the drying rate. Experimental data obtained for the samples for color, drying rate and drying time proved that air velocity of 1.3 m/s yielded the product superior in terms of both quality and energy efficiency as compared to the samples at 0.5 m/s. Activation energy for drumstick leaves dried with air velocity, 0.5 and 1.3 m/s was 12.50 and 32.74 kJ/mol respectively. The activation energy relates similarly with the effective moisture diffusivity which also increased with increase in air velocity and temperature.