Abstract

The study of drying of red alga (Gelidium sesquipedale, Rhodophyta), with initial sample masses varying from 1 to 10 g, was carried at different temperatures 30 – 80 °C. The experimental drying curves show a slight effect of the initial mass. Two types of curves are obtained: those at temperatures below 50 °C are fitted into straight line according to an interfacial progression process in cylindrical symmetry. Those of high-temperature drying (50 < ? < 80 °C), are perfectly parabolic and show that the kinetic regime is controlled by the three-dimensional diffusion according to the Jander equation. The two types of water molecules identified were also highlighted during the drying kinetics process. The apparent activation energy of the strongly bounded water (20%) is about 36.25 kJ·mol^-1, and that of the wetting water is in the range of 47.68 kJ·mol^-1.

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