Evaluation of drying kinetics, electric and emission study of Musa paradisiaca L. leaves using microwave-assisted drying method

Indonesia is one of the most important countries in Asia for banana agriculture (Musa spp.). Some parts of the banana tree are widely utilized by humans, especially the leaves. Even the dried banana leaves also have many advantages, such as can be used in producing biogas. Appropriate and environmentally friendly drying methods are needed to minimize process energy consumption and remove moisture from biological products economically. Microwave-Assisted Drying can be an alternative to achieve high efficiency, low carbon, and good quality control in drying Musa paradisiaca L. leaves. In order to optimize the drying process, mathematical models of drying kinetics, electric consumption, and environmental impact can also be investigated. Therefore, this study is to evaluate the best kinetics model for the drying behavior of Musa paradisiaca L. leaves by MAD and to determine the electric consumption and CO₂ emission parameters of the drying process through a comparison of two drying methods (MAD and oven drying). The best model generated is Jena-Das model (264 W of microwave power) as indicated by R², SSE, RMSE, MSE, X² with a value of 0.998994, 0.001036, 0.010728, 0.000115, and 0.009298, respectively. Meanwhile, the electric consumption (E_c) for drying Musa paradisiaca L. leaves using MAD with 136 W of microwave power, 264 W of microwave power, and oven drying resulted in values of 0.0193, 0.0198, and 8.100 kW h, respectively. And CO₂ emission produced on drying Musa paradisiaca L. leaves using MAD with 136 W of microwave power, 264 W of microwave power and oven drying are 0.0154, 0.0158, and 6.4800 kg, respectively.