The Effect of Power on Drying Rate of Sugarcane Bagasse Drying by Using Microwave

The sugarcane is a food plant widely used in daily life as a sweetener. This plant is processed in a factory to produce sugar. In sugar processing, it needed a large amount\ud of energy where its source is bagasse. As a fuel, sugarcane bagasse still has a moisture content of around 50%, so the calorific value is quite low. The drying process is needed to increase this calorific value. Many drying processes can be used where one of them is microwave drying. The microwave drying is faster if compared to hot air. In this study, the sample of sugarcane bagasse used was chopped to a size of about 3 cm. The mass of samples used the weight of 100, 125, and 150 gr, and placed in an aluminum foil. The measurement of sample mass is done every minute. The electrical power used varies by 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, and 100% of the maximum power of the microwave oven. The result of the study shows a proportional reduction in moisture ratio for each power percentage difference used. The heavier sample mass will result in a lower drying rate. The regression shows that the standard logarithmic equation is more suitable for the drying rate equatio