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Seaweed Driers & Irish Seaweed Drying Capability Máirtín Walsh Workshop ‘Farming Seaweed in Ireland’ 10 th April 2019 Ennis

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Seaweed Driers & Irish Seaweed Drying Capability

Máirtín WalshWorkshop ‘Farming Seaweed in Ireland’

10th April 2019Ennis

Drying as a means of Preservation

• Drying is a very long established means of preservation for seaweed.• Drying remains the primary method used in Ireland to preserve seaweed.• Reducing water content & reducing water activity (aw) are the keys to preservation by

drying. • Seaweed lends itself to drying because of natural salt content.• Small scale production traditionally utilized external, open air drying.• Commercial production usually utilizes purpose built or modified chambers. • Direct & indirect heating for drying.• Direct – Heat source (combustion) in same chamber as seaweed.• Indirect – Heat source is separated from seaweed, heat transferred via exchanger. • Various schools of thought about optimum temperatures for drying.• Other preservation methods e.g. freezing, have not been widely adopted in the industry.

Traditional Drying Methods

• Traditional small scale drying has employed external open air drying.• Seaweed is spread on grass or plastic sheeting to air/sun dry. • Outbuildings like hay sheds also used for traditional drying.• Method is weather dependent, unpredictable, inconsistent and does not

adequately protect food from pests/contamination. • This method has evolved around small scale seasonal, opportunistic

harvesting, generally for communities using seaweed sales as seasonal supplementary income.

• This method is still used in small scale production.• The use of this method has declined and is not likely to endure in the long

terms due to changes in the structure of the seaweed sector and concerns about contamination / unsanitary conditions.

Seaweed being dried in open air conditions.Source. National Seaweed Forum Report http://www.nuigalway.ie/research/seaweed_centre/documents/Seaweedforum_Report2000.pdf

‘Solar Dryer’ utilizing fans to extract saturated air. Source. https://theseaweedman.com/gallery/

Seaweed being air dried (Australia?)Source. https://www.sgaonline.org.au/seaweed-extracts-for-the-garden/drying-seaweed/

Current Drying Methods

• The most common method at the moment utilizes dehumidification and air movement. Dehumidifier + Fans.

• Typically wet seaweed is placed on mesh or net covered ‘frames’ or ‘racks’ and these are placed into a drying chamber.

• Frames are generally large, simple frames made of wood or stainless steel, covered in plastic netting, fishing net, oyster bag mesh or similar materials.

• Trollies or frames are used to stack and move multiple frames.• Use of wood is inadvisable in food / high care production systems.• Mesh/net must be thoroughly cleaned often and replaced regularly for

hygiene purposes.

Current Drying Methods• Drying systems usually employ a large volume dehumidifier (00’s L/ 24hrs)

• Air blowers are usually used to increase drying efficiency, air blowers are generally placed opposite dehumidifier with air flow in the direction of the dehumidifier.

• High volume air movement is absolutely key to efficient drying.

• Addition of heat is not necessary in these systems.*

• Efficiency declines above 36-37C, venting of warm/saturated air is often used at this stage in process.

• 24-36 hour drying cycles are quite common for this type of drying system.

• Capacities used vary from <500kgs to >2,000 kgs (wet product)

• Drying efficiency declines as product loses moisture

Current Drying Methods

Quality control & loading racks for drying.Source; https://connemaraseaweedcompany.ie/gallery/

Seaweed Racks on Trolley being placed in dryer.Source; https://connemaraseaweedcompany.ie/gallery/

Current Drying Methods

Seaweed Drying at Wild Irish Sea Veg, Co. Clare. Source. http://nenaghgal.blogspot.com/2012/06/nenaghgal-learns-about-seaweed-with.html

Current Drying Methods

Pro• Simple • Relatively inexpensive• Reasonably reliable• Adequate for most food

products• Low temperature (<40C)• Cost / Complexity is appropriate

much of industry

Con• Labour intensive• Prolonged drying period• Extends duration of the

complete production cycle• Vulnerable to energy cost

increases• Relatively inflexible (difficult to

incorporate additional process)

Large Scale Commercial Drying

• Fewer than 5 companies involved in drying at scale over 10,000t per annum.

• Large scale commercial drying of seaweed is done globally, usually utilizing tunnel dryers and similar technology. The technology can have high energy usage.

• Large scale commercial drying often (not always) requires a compromise between speed/efficiency and nutrient degradation.

• Large scale drying usually requires high quality unit operations before drying stage; cleaning, washing, milling to uniform particle sizes.

• Raw material supply remain a key unknown for assessment of investment potential.

• Economic case for this technology may be marginal in Ireland.

Alvan Blanch Multi-Purpose DryerSource; http://www.alvanblanchgroup.com/driers-other-materials

The case for moving away from drying?

• Accurate, long term estimates of future raw material supply remain unclear. • The outlook around the future licencing of wild harvesting activities and

aquaculture production remains unclear. • The case for large scale investment in high volume commercial drying cannot be

made with any certainty. (Cap Ex vs. Value/Supply/Growth potential)• Planning and investment in and development of, new drying technology must be

in line with current raw material production constraints. • Technology must be appropriate to needs of industry.

(Capability/Complexity/Cost/Product value/User needs) • Is drying a viable long term solution outside of niche products?• Is drying cost effective at intermediate scale production?

The case for moving away from drying?

• Business case for investment in highly automated, sophisticated drying technology is marginal for the majority of seaweed enterprises in Ireland. >€0.5million investment may be impractical.

• Labour inputs in terms of preparing, loading and unloading remain significant, it may be a case that labour is more of an issue than energy or drying technology.

• Intermediate scale may offer the ‘worst of both worlds’ High Cap Ex. + Energy costs without offering appropriate economy of scale.

• Current drying methods, although imperfect, are generally appropriate to the users requirements.

• There is room for significant improvement in existing systems; development /roll out of simple computerized controlled systems, better use of temperature and moisture sensors, automation of air venting step, modelling of drying process to bring predictability and to reduce time inputs and subjective decision making.

The case for moving away from drying?

• Undoubted demand for seaweed as a raw material for extraction and purification to manufacture high value ingredients.

• Can value be extracted from seaweed without the need for drying?• Seaweed is high in insoluble fibres/carbohydrates/water. Can Irish

industry partners separate micro and macro nutrients and add value by separation and serving targeted user needs?

• Do other preservation techniques offer opportunities?Freezing/‘Wet’ preservation or extraction with low volume drying?

• Is there a business case for chemical/physical extraction of various ingredients in a ‘wet process’?

Summary

• Demand for seaweed remains very strong globally, prices remain strong. • The future of the raw material supply chain must be clarified.

What role will Aquaculture, wild harvesting and mechanical harvesting play?• Technological drying solutions exist and can be transferred from other

industries – Industry may need significant support with these costs. • Existing small scale drying systems can be improved significantly at a

reasonable cost.• Labour saving technology & better use of sensors and control systems offer

opportunities to reduce cost of production. • Energy costs and Greenhouse gas emissions must be considered when

deciding on introduction of new technologies.