Value Addition of Medicinal Herbs Using Sustainable Solar Dryer: A Case Study of Sirumalai Hills, Tamil Nadu

A paradigm shift towards Siddha medicines was rapidly increasing due to several health benefits. The utilization and demand for natural medicines to cure diseases has been increased rapidly. Natural medicines require conditioning and preprocessing (i.e., removal of moisture content) to maintain the quality and consistency of the medicine. A sustainable drying process is essential to maintain an effective supply chain. The sustainable solar drying process is improving the shelf life and quality of medicinal plants. Also, it promotes density reduction of the medicinal plants and supports competitive positions through value addition. Sirumalai is a mountain range situated in the Dindigul district in Tamil Nadu. It is known for its rich biodiversity and unique medicinal herbs. Many of these herbs have been traditionally used in Ayurvedic and Siddha medicine for their therapeutic properties. This paper attempts to analyze a passive solar dryer integrated with a solar water heater based on 24×7 drying of herbs to improve the quality of herbs. Solar PV-based force circulation fan with air heat exchanger has been employed for backup heating during night time. The performance analysis has been carried out and reported. Also, the socioeconomic analysis has been carried out and reported in this paper.