Drying characteristics, quality and 4E analysis of Stropharia rugosoannulata in a continuous solar dryer

To address rehydration, extended drying time, and quality loss caused by nighttime interruption in traditional solar drying, this study employed a solar drying system integrated with solid adsorption thermal storage (SATES) to dry Stropharia rugosoannulata under continuous solar drying (CSD) and traditional solar drying (TSD) modes. CSD maintained continuous drying through nighttime adsorption dehumidification. The effects of SATES on drying characteristics and product quality were investigated, and energy, exergy, economic and environmental (4E) performance was assessed. During two nighttime drying stages, CSD reduced chamber relative humidity by 51.49% and 31.81%, with mean drying rates of 0.16 and 0.06 kg w /(kg dm ·h), respectively. CSD removed 2.73 kg water at night, accounting for 27.02% of total moisture removal, and shortened total drying time by 5 h compared with TSD. CSD significantly improved nutritional quality. The protein, total sugar, and total amino acid contents were 35.3, 27.2, and 27.94 g/100 g, which were 71.36%, 85.03%, and 42.99% higher than those in TSD. CSD also exhibited higher drying efficiency (14.79% vs. 14.21%), higher drying chamber exergy efficiency (24.12% vs. 19.79%), and lower specific energy consumption (15.28 vs. 15.91 MJ/kg) than TSD. For CSD, economic and environmental payback periods were 4.89 and 4.37 years, respectively, with a net CO 2 emission reduction of 28.52 t over a 25‑year lifespan. In summary, the system enabled continuous drying through nighttime adsorption dehumidification, reduced drying time, improved energy, economic, and environmental performance, and preserved product quality. This study provides a viable route for low‑carbon continuous solar drying of high‑value agricultural products.