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<p>This study assesses the economic feasibility of pulsed electric field (PEF) pretreatment for industrial hot-air apple drying using a techno-economic model developed in SuperPro Designer. Thirty-six configurations were evaluated by combining three drying temperatures (55, 70, and 85 °C), four PEF energy inputs (0, 1, 3.5, and 6 kJ/kg) applied at a constant electric field strength of 1 kV/cm, and three production scales (500, 2500, and 5000 kg of raw apples per batch). Economic performance was compared through unit production cost (UPC), return on investment (ROI), payback time (PBT), and net present value (NPV). Production scale was the main driver of profitability, while 3.5 kJ/kg was the most advantageous PEF input, providing the greatest reductions in drying time, fuel, water, and electricity consumption. At 5000 kg per batch and 55 °C, PEF at 3.5 kJ/kg outperformed the conventional process across all indicators: ROI increased from 20.4% to 30.2%, NPV rose from €8.6 million to €20.2 million, and both UPC and PBT improved. At 70 °C, PEF minimized UPC and maximized NPV but did not surpass the conventional process in ROI and PBT. At 85 °C, the conventional process remained preferable, except for UPC. To explain this temperature-dependent performance, ROI was reformulated as a function of drying time and PEF equipment cost. Critical drying-time thresholds were about 346, 181, and 121 min, while maximum allowable equipment costs were €1,165,000, €130,000, and €85,000 at 55, 70, and 85 °C, respectively. Reducing PEF equipment cost from €425,000 to €100,000 reversed the ROI ranking at 70 °C, indicating that current equipment pricing, rather than intrinsic process limitations, constrains wider adoption.</p>

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Techno-economic Analysis of Pulsed Electric Fields Pretreatment for Industrial Apple Drying Across Scale, Temperature, and Equipment Cost

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月7日

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  • Farid Soltanipour,
  • Giovanni De Feo,
  • Giovanni Landi,
  • Miriam Benedetti,
  • Gianpiero Pataro

摘要

This study assesses the economic feasibility of pulsed electric field (PEF) pretreatment for industrial hot-air apple drying using a techno-economic model developed in SuperPro Designer. Thirty-six configurations were evaluated by combining three drying temperatures (55, 70, and 85 °C), four PEF energy inputs (0, 1, 3.5, and 6 kJ/kg) applied at a constant electric field strength of 1 kV/cm, and three production scales (500, 2500, and 5000 kg of raw apples per batch). Economic performance was compared through unit production cost (UPC), return on investment (ROI), payback time (PBT), and net present value (NPV). Production scale was the main driver of profitability, while 3.5 kJ/kg was the most advantageous PEF input, providing the greatest reductions in drying time, fuel, water, and electricity consumption. At 5000 kg per batch and 55 °C, PEF at 3.5 kJ/kg outperformed the conventional process across all indicators: ROI increased from 20.4% to 30.2%, NPV rose from €8.6 million to €20.2 million, and both UPC and PBT improved. At 70 °C, PEF minimized UPC and maximized NPV but did not surpass the conventional process in ROI and PBT. At 85 °C, the conventional process remained preferable, except for UPC. To explain this temperature-dependent performance, ROI was reformulated as a function of drying time and PEF equipment cost. Critical drying-time thresholds were about 346, 181, and 121 min, while maximum allowable equipment costs were €1,165,000, €130,000, and €85,000 at 55, 70, and 85 °C, respectively. Reducing PEF equipment cost from €425,000 to €100,000 reversed the ROI ranking at 70 °C, indicating that current equipment pricing, rather than intrinsic process limitations, constrains wider adoption.