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Drying kinetics, power consumption, economic and environmental analysis of pomegranate peels drying using a hybrid SD compared with oven dryer
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  • Published: 13 February 2026

Drying kinetics, power consumption, economic and environmental analysis of pomegranate peels drying using a hybrid SD compared with oven dryer

  • Khaled A. Metwally1,
  • El-Sayed G. Khater2,
  • Adel H. Bahnasawy2,
  • Aml Abubakr Tantawy3,
  • Ahmed Elbeltagi4,
  • Ali Salem5,6,
  • Samy A. Marey7,
  • Abdelaziz M. Okasha8,
  • Khaled Abdeen Mousa Ali9 &
  • …
  • Abdallah Elshawadfy Elwakeel10 

Scientific Reports , Article number:  (2026) Cite this article

We are providing an unedited version of this manuscript to give early access to its findings. Before final publication, the manuscript will undergo further editing. Please note there may be errors present which affect the content, and all legal disclaimers apply.

Subjects

  • Energy science and technology
  • Environmental sciences
  • Plant sciences

Abstract

Drying pomegranate peels, a by-product of juice production, preserves their beneficial properties and minimizes waste. Using optimal drying conditions, such as controlled temperatures and thin layers, improves efficiency and ensures high quality. These dried peels can then be utilized in various industries, including food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. To our knowledge, there are no existing studies that detail the effects of hybrid solar drying, drying temperatures, and layer thickness on the drying kinetics, power consumption, and economic and environmental aspects. In this study, a hybrid indirect SD (HISD) with a temperature and humidity control unit was used to dry pomegranate peels at three different temperatures—50 °C, 60 °C, and 70 °C—and three different thicknesses—1, 2, and 3 cm. The HISD was then compared to a conventional oven drying system (CODS). The obtained results indicated that increasing the drying temperature increased the weight loss of pomegranate peels. Also, the average initial moisture content of pomegranate peels was 76.5% (w.b.). The final MC ranged from 2.67 to 2.10% and from 2.97 to 2.84% for the CODS and HISD, respectively. The higher drying rates of the pomegranate peels dried using CODS and HISD were 169.79 and 196 kgwater/kgdrymatter/h, respectively, at a layer thickness of 3 cm and a drying temperature of 70 °C. Additionally, using HISD led to a reduction in power consumption by about 64.28% to 75.75% compared to the CODS. Furthermore, the environmental analysis results showed that the embodied energy is about 1270.463 kW.h. The energy payback period for HISD ranges between 2.38 and 6.34 years. The earned carbon credit for drying pomegranate peels using the HISD ranged between 770.1 and 2207.2 USD. Based on economic analysis, the lowest drying cost using the HISD was 144.5 USD per ton of pomegranate peels, achieved at layer thicknesses of 1 cm and a drying temperature of 70 °C.

Data availability

All data are provided within the article.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to extend their sincere appreciation to the Researchers Supporting Project (RSPD2025R752) at King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Funding

Open access funding provided by University of Pécs. This research was funded by the Researchers Supporting Project number (RSPD2025R752), King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Soil and Water Sciences Department, Faculty of Technology and Development, Zagazig University, Zagazig, 44519, Egypt

    Khaled A. Metwally

  2. Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Benha University, P.O. Box 13736, Moshtohor, Toukh, Kalubia, Egypt

    El-Sayed G. Khater & Adel H. Bahnasawy

  3. Food Science Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, 65211, Egypt

    Aml Abubakr Tantawy

  4. Agricultural Engineering Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt

    Ahmed Elbeltagi

  5. Civil Engineering Department, Minia University, Minia, Egypt

    Ali Salem

  6. Structural Diagnostics and Analysis Research Group, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, University of Pécs, Pecs, Hungary

    Ali Salem

  7. Department of Agricultural Engineering, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, 11451, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Samy A. Marey

  8. Department of Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafr El-Sheikh, 33516, Egypt

    Abdelaziz M. Okasha

  9. College of Engineering, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China

    Khaled Abdeen Mousa Ali

  10. Agricultural Engineering Department, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Aswan University, Aswan, Egypt

    Abdallah Elshawadfy Elwakeel

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Contributions

Conceptualization, K.A.M., E.G.K., and A.H.B., methodology, K.A.M., E.G.K., A.H.B., and A.E.E., software, K.A.M., E.G.K., A.H.B., and A.E.E., formal analysis, A.E., A.S., S.A.M., and A.M.O., investigation, K.A.M., A.E.E., and A.A.T., resources, K.A.M., A.E.E., K.A.M.A., and A.A.T., data curation, K.A.M., A.E.E., A.E., A.S., S.A.M., and A.M.O., writing original draft, K.A.M., E.G.K., A.H.B., and A.E.E., writing-review and editing, K.A.M., E.G.K., A.H.B., A.A.T., and A.E.E., visualization, K.A.M., A.A.T., K.A.M.A., and A.E.E., supervision, K.A.M., E.G.K., A.H.B., and A.E.E., project administration, K.A.M., E.G.K., A.H.B., and A.E.E., funding, A.E., A.S., S.A.M., and A.M.O., all authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Ali Salem or Abdallah Elshawadfy Elwakeel.

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Metwally, K.A., Khater, ES.G., Bahnasawy, A.H. et al. Drying kinetics, power consumption, economic and environmental analysis of pomegranate peels drying using a hybrid SD compared with oven dryer. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-22464-7

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  • Received: 15 February 2025

  • Accepted: 29 September 2025

  • Published: 13 February 2026

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-22464-7

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Keywords

  • Carbon footprint
  • Carbon mitigation
  • Renewable energy
  • Suitability
  • Healthy foods
  • Postharvest technology
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