Thermodynamic properties of drying process and water absorption of rice grains

Abstract

This study aimed to obtain the drying and water absorption curves of husk rice grain (Oryza sativa L.), cv. Urucuia, as well as the thermodynamic properties. Five temperatures (35°C, 45°C, 55°C, 65°C and 75°C) were used. Two terms, logarithmic, modified Midilli, Page and Verma models were used to model the drying process, and the Peleg model was used to model the soaking process. The modified Midilli and Peleg models satisfactorily accounted for the processes of drying and absorption of water, respectively. The activation energy for the drying and soaking was 51.03 and 37.06 kJ mol−1, respectively. The enthalpy and entropy decreased with increasing temperature, regardless of the process. Their values ranged between −6.60 and 48.47 kJ mol−1 and between −0.1084 and −0.2464 kJ mol−1 K−1 for enthalpy and entropy, respectively. The Gibbs free energy increased with increasing temperature, with values between 69.36 and 86.22 kJ mol−1.