+ How efficient is Catalytic Infrared for dehydrating fruits and vegetables for use as edible products, or as feedstock for nutraceuticals?

Catalytic infrared processing has proven to be compatible with a broad range of fruits, vegetables and herbs. Examples include the production of edible dried foods with excellent flavor, texture and color, the extraction of vitamins or minerals from herbs (such as rosemary), and the production of botanicals for food, cosmetic or medicinal purposes.

Catalytic infrared energy has proven its value as an efficient and highly repeatable technology that delivers exceptional end product quality, with substantially less heat exposure, in a shorter process cycle, at lower cost, than conventional heating methods.

+How long does it take to dry Cannabis using Catalytic Infrared Energy?

The exact drying time varies depending on a number of factors: location, time of year and the strain of cannabis, but the process time is reduced from days to hours using a POTCAT. POTCAT can process between 2 to 3 pounds of wet trimmed buds per square feet of drying area in hours compared to days. For example, a grower/processor in California reduced his drying time from 9 days to 6 hours.

+ What is the cost of a Flameless Catalytic Infrared Energy system compared to conventional systems that attempt to perform the same function?

In general, equipment costs are on a par with conventional conveyor-type systems on a cost-per-conveyor area basis. However, since drying/heating times can be greatly reduced using flameless catalytic infrared energy, it is likely that smaller equipment or more throughput (or both) can result from using a CDT catalytic infrared system.

+ How do energy costs compare between flameless catalytic infrared systems and conventional convection heating/drying systems?

A typical convection conveyor dryer or column dryer requires as much as 50 horsepower just to move heated air. Flameless catalytic infrared energy is transferred directly to the product without the requirement to heat large volumes of air. Therefore, horsepower requirements are greatly reduced. In typical applications, CDT's system uses 12 - 25 horsepower to move the conveyor and operate small recirculation and ventilation fans.

Regarding fuel use, conventional convection dryers that use open flame burners or heat exchangers are much less efficient at utilizing all of the energy in the fuel when compared to the direct energy transferred using flameless catalytic infrared energy systems. Of course this requires the proper kind of catalytic system such as developed by CDT. Fuel costs can be reduced 30-50% in some applications due to the efficiency of the direct energy transfer and lower heat losses, which are minimized by vastly reducing the required air handling.

+ Is Flameless Catalytic Infrared Energy safe for Cannabis and Agricultural Products?

Flameless catalytic infrared energy is very safe. Wavelengths generated are in the "far infrared" range, not microwaves. And because it is flameless, catalytic systems are approved for use in environments where other systems are not, such as in dusty environments and environments where volatile compounds (alcohols, etc.) are present in the vapors generated by the heating/drying processes. See Safety & Ratings

Please contact us to test or discuss how CDT's flameless catalytic infrared processing system can help your cannabis or agriculture processing operations. Our fully equipped test facility is available for developing custom solutions. Join us in the design and process development from desktop to full scale commercial trials.