Evaluating soda-lime adsorption and microcontroller-based system for the dynamic control of CO2 in a fresh produce storage box under varying temperature
Effective storage of fresh produce requires precise control of temperature, O2, CO2, and relative humidity. The storage system with an air exchange to control O2 has already been developed. In this study, a soda-lime reactor was introduced into the developed storage system for CO2 control. Initially...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Journal of Agriculture and Food Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666154325002236 |
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| Summary: | Effective storage of fresh produce requires precise control of temperature, O2, CO2, and relative humidity. The storage system with an air exchange to control O2 has already been developed. In this study, a soda-lime reactor was introduced into the developed storage system for CO2 control. Initially, the kinetics of CO2 adsorption by soda-lime was studied at different temperatures (5, 10 and 20 °C) and relative humidity (>85 %). Then, the new system was integrated into a storage box containing 16 kg of broccoli and the performance evaluation was conducted under varying temperatures from 5 to 23 °C over a 120-h storage period. The analysis of soda-lime adsorption using the Weibull function showed an adsorption capacity of 267 L kg−1. Adsorption was triggered at relative humidity above 80 %, highlighting its suitability for high-humidity conditions in fresh produce storage. While temperature affected the adsorption rate of soda-lime, it did not impact the overall capacity. During the entire storage period, CO2 and O2 concentrations inside the box were successfully maintained at 4 ± 2 % and 2 ± 1 %, respectively, even under varying temperatures. This approach highlights the potential of air exchange and soda-lime-based system as an alternative solution for the indirect control of O2 as well as CO2, using a simple temperature sensor and mathematical model. |
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| ISSN: | 2666-1543 |