[Comparative study of methods of drying mycelial waste]

Two types of apparatus recommended for drying paste-like products, i.e. a continuous-belt film drier and a spouting-bed drier were tested to choose a process for drying mycelial waste. The laboratory studies with the use of the continuous-belt film drier confirmed that a dry moulded product with the moisture content of less than 5 to 6 per cent could be obtained in such an apparatus. In the laboratory and pilot plant studies with the use of the spouting-bed drier equipped with a specially constructed granulator the technological conditions of the drying were defined. The conditions provided stable hydrodynamic drying and obtaining of a dry product with the moisture content of 5 to 6 per cent. Preliminary dried and ground mycelial waste of the tetracycline and rifampicin manufacture is useful as a dry additive in the preparation of the paste with the required moisture content.