How to dry cassava starch?

Starch drying machine

Drying has been identified as the major tool for expanding processing of cassava starchr. Various options have been considered so far in the cassava project .

1.Natural drying starch

Local processors expose cassava mash on a polythene sheet directly to the sun. This is referred to as “sun drying”. The project observed that drying at rural or domestic levels cannot be done artificially because of the high capital investment in equipment and energy required and hence, natural sun drying is done.

Sun drying is beset by several inherent drawbacks, such as susceptibility to damage due to inclement weather, slow drying rates, and contamination. Because of these limitations and the high cost and low utilization of more efficient traditional dryers, the adoption of a modified sun drying process, solar drying, has been considered for drying HQCF in rural areas.

2. Artificial drying starch

If a controllable source of energy is used for drying operations, the process is referred to as artificial or mechanical drying. There is a further classification in which the air used for drying is heated, either by solar means or controlled means such as electricity, renewable fuels, or fossil fuels. These methods are referred to as hybrid drying.

3. Rotary dryer to dry starch

IITA is building up a coalition of local fabricators to mass produce an already tested locally fabricated rotary dryer for use by the rural processors of cassava starch. The dryer could be fired by charcoal or gas and rotated by a diesel engine. The dryer consists of an insulated drying chamber (drum-like). The dryer is cost effective and user friendly.

4.Flash dryer to dry starch

The flash dryer (3t/day capacity) is well insulated with the product contact surface made of stainless steel and a semiautomated feeder. It could be operated with combined kerosene/spent oil. The dryer is user friendly and will encourage greater cassava starch production.