ABSTRACT

 This work considered drying of pepper in a locally developed' solar dryer incorporating two thermal desiccants to buttress the effectiveness of the drying process while simultaneously aiding continuous drying during night periods. Three sets of dryers were used: one with sodium chloride pallets, the second with calcium sulphate, and the third without provision for a thermal storage desiccant. With initial 120 g each in the three drying chambers, the drying rates, the chamber temperatures, as well as the chamber relative humidity recorded at hourly intervals. The results obtained shows the temperature difference in the crying chamber to be up to 3.5 °C higher than the ambient temperatures in the chambers carrying the desiccants and overall reduction in the drying chamber relative humidity. Additionally, when comp red with the dryer without a desiccant, the drying rates are reasonably higher with maximum, average, and standard deviation of (0.0785 Ihour, 0.0193 /hour, and 0.02Q6 ,'hour), (0.0630 /hour, 0.0141 /hour, and 00155 !hour), and (0.0629 /hour, 00134 /hour, and 0.0159 /hour) for drying with sàdium chloride pallets, calcium sulphate, and drying without respectively. In conclusion, drying with a solar dryer integrated with desiccant thermal storage makes drying with solar energy more effective.