Passive Indirect Solar Dryer Integrated With Perforated Baffles and Thermal Storage for Drying Coconut Briquettes

The sustainability and low carbon footprint of coconut briquettes make them a popular renewable energy source. In contrast to conventional charcoal and wood fuel sources, coconut briquettes have been found to produce reduced levels of smoke and exhibit greater environmental sustainability. Manufacturing coconut briquettes can pose a challenging task, as it necessitates husks drying to an exact moisture level prior to compression. This study explores the potential of a passive indirect solar dryer (PISD) equipped with perforated baffles and thermal storage for drying coconut briquettes in Brgy. Bambang, Calaca, Batangas. The research highlights the significance of combining baffles and thermal storage in solar dryer designs to achieve enhanced drying efficiency, better briquette quality, and reduced drying time compared to conventional sun-drying methods. This configuration demonstrated optimal heat distribution and moisture removal efficiency, underlined by statistical analysis of temperature stability across the drying trays. It was found that the PISD significantly decreased the drying time by two-thirds that of the traditional sun drying (p