Electroporation as an optimizing step in drying of green biomass

During the last few years the electroporation of plant cells became an interesting new method for an energy efficient denaturisation of plant cells. Usually, the plant material is immersed in water in order to guarantee a good contact to the electrodes. But for a drying process it is essential to omit the use of additional water. Hence, it has been tested in laboratory scale experiments to use the water inside the plants only: slices of plant material are pressed before the electroporation until the space between the plant material and the electrodes is filled with juice. After a second pressing step, the plant material is dried in an oven. The energy required for the electroporation and the drying process has been evaluated and compared to the energy required for the drying process without electroporation. A clear advantage in energy saving for the drying process with electroporation has been observed. Diagrams showing the required energies of the different steps are presented for Zea mays.