Project Details
Equipment: Industrial Mesh Belt Dryer System with Air-Source Heat Pump Units
Material: Fresh Konjac Slices
Project Location: Philippines
Application: Continuous Dehydration & Color Preservation for Commercial Konjac Processing
Project Overview
DANUBE supplied a commercial multi-layer mesh belt drying system tailored for fresh konjac slices to a processing customer in the Philippines. The complete processing line features an automated inclined feeding conveyor equipped with a leveling mechanism, a multi-layer drying chamber, and a side-mounted industrial heat pump heating system.
Designed specifically for root crop processing, the system enables continuous, controlled moisture removal, helping the customer improve production capacity, maintain high glucomannan quality, and optimize operational energy efficiency.
Customer’s Processing Requirements
Fresh konjac tubers have an extremely high water content (often exceeding 80–85%) and require rapid, uniform dehydration after slicing to prevent enzymatic browning, starch degradation, or mold growth.
For commercial processors in tropical regions like the Philippines, key processing challenges include:
High Moisture Removal Demand: Sliced konjac sticky polysaccharides (glucomannan) trap water, making moisture reduction slow if heating and airflow are poorly distributed.
Color and Nutrient Retention: Overheating or uneven drying can discolor the slices, reducing glucomannan viscosity and commercial value.
Weather & Seasonal Risks: Tropical rainfall and high relative humidity in the Philippines make open-air sun drying impractical and prone to mold contamination.
Labor & Conveying Efficiency: Manual spreading of wet, sticky konjac slices leads to uneven loading depth, increasing drying cycles and labor costs.
DANUBE’s Solution: Continuous Mesh Belt Drying Line
To meet the customer’s strict processing requirements, DANUBE provided a custom-engineered continuous mesh belt drying line:
1. Automated Feeding & Spreading System
The line is equipped with an inclined belt conveyor featuring a built-in serrated mechanical leveler (equalizer). Fresh konjac slices fed into the hopper are automatically spread into a uniform, single layer before entering the dryer, preventing hot-spot scorching or damp clumps.
2. Energy-Efficient Air-Source Heat Pump Heat Recovery
Utilizing industrial side-mounted air-source heat pump units, the system supplies clean, hot, dehumidified air into the drying chamber. The closed/semi-closed heat pump recovery reduces energy consumption by up to 50% compared to conventional electric or diesel heating.
3. Multi-Layer Continuous Material Conveying
The multi-tier mesh belt transports konjac slices gently through different temperature and humidity zones. As slices drop automatically from upper to lower belts, they flip naturally, ensuring thoroughly uniform exposure on both sides without manual intervention.
4. Smart Multi-Zone Process Control
Operating parameters such as air temperature, airflow velocity, humidity exhaust, and conveyor speed can be adjusted according to raw material slice thickness and target moisture levels. Controlled low-to-medium temperature processing locks in the natural light color of the konjac chips.
Project Benefits
The heat pump mesh belt drying line provides significant operational advantages for the customer’s facility in the Philippines:
Superior Product Quality: Precise low-temperature drying prevents darkening, preserving the natural color and high glucomannan viscosity of konjac slices.
Continuous Commercial Throughput: Replaces slow batch drying with non-stop continuous production, handling tons of fresh konjac daily.
Substantial Energy Savings: Heat pump technology significantly cuts kilowatt-hour (kWh) power consumption per ton of dried product.
All-Weather Reliability: Enclosed indoor processing protects crops from tropical rainstorms and ambient humidity fluctuations.
Reduced Labor Costs: Automated hopper feeding and mechanical leveling eliminate manual spreading labor.
About DANUBE
DANUBE specializes in industrial drying, frying equipment, and integrated food processing lines, serving customers in more than 130 countries and regions worldwide. We provide EPC project support from process planning and equipment manufacturing to installation and commissioning.
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