Comparative assessment of the performance of a biomass pasteurizer versus an electrical one

Abstract

Biomass is a major source of fuel in many developing countries which suggests the continued high reliance on traditional biomass fuels. However, solid data on the performance of biomass pasteurizers remain scarce. Also, electricity costs usage in pasteurization are high as well scarce. in the rural setting. This study aims at providing evidence of a shift from the usage of electricity. to biomass in the beverage industry as an alternative to carry out pasteurization of food products. The pasteurizer employed in the study was a vat (batch), had a capacity of 125 L and a 30-mm wide hot water jacket insulated with 38-mm thick fiberglass. It was compared with an electricity. batch pasteurizer 120 L which had 50-mm water jacket and 30-mm insulation fiberglass. This low-cost biomass pasteurizer is appropriate for both rural areas without grid electricity and urban areas for producers aiming at reduced costs of production, where juice and milk product marketing is an important income source, and where most of cooking process is done using firewood. The average thermal efficiency boiling 120 L of water at hot start were ~15.43%, ~17.07% and ~74.63% for charcoal, firewood and electricity respectively, therefore, electricity was highly efficient. Conclusions regarding acceptability of the biomass pasteurizer from the study indicated that despite the limitations of study, the findings suggest that the biomass pasteurizer by use of firewood could have positive welfare effects for the beverage industry for those who would adopt it.