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The 4th International Conference on Sustainability Agriculture and Biosystem IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1059 (2022) 012022 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1059/1/012022

Design of Green Tea Drying System Using Smoke and

Temperature Sensors Based on Microcontroller

Mulianda P1, Fahmy K1, Andasuryani1

1
Department of Agricultural and Biosystem Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural
Technology, Andalas University, Kampus Limau Manis, Padang-25163, Indonesia
Corresponding author’s e-mail address: khandrafahmy@ae.unand.ac.id

Abstract. The green tea drying process still uses wood as its fuel because it can reduce
production costs. However, the smoke produced by the bottom firewood enters the drying
chamber, thus affecting the quality of the green tea produced. Therefore, it is necessary to have
a drying system that can detect and control the smoke entering the drying chamber and control
the temperature during the drying process. The tea drying system is designed using a smoke
sensor and a temperature sensor based on a microcontroller. This system is also equipped with
an RH sensor that can monitor the RH value during the drying process. From the device
performance test results, it was found that the system designed can control the smoke and
temperature in the drying chamber to be applied to the green tea drying process in tea factories.
Keywords: Drying Chamber, Control the Smoke, Green Tea

1. Introduction
Tea is a beverage made from the young leaves of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis). Tea is known for
having many benefits for health. Green tea is widely consumed for its medical value because it does not
go through the fermentation process [1].
The main content of tea is catechins which are included in the group of polyphenol compounds. In
addition, tea also contains other compounds, such as essential oils, vitamins, and minerals. In general,
tea serves as an antioxidant, reduces cholesterol, prevents diabetes, and repairs damaged cells [2].
Tea plantations are also a leading business sector that accommodates a large number of workers [3].
Indonesia is one of the five largest tea exporting countries besides India, China, Sri Lanka, and Kenya.
The tea exports in Indonesia reach 6% of the total world tea exports [4]. Tea is one of Indonesia's
agricultural products, which has a fairly large production. Tea production in Indonesia was 140,587 tons
in 2017, slightly decreased in 2018 to 139,285 tons [5]. The province of West Sumatra is one of the tea-
producing provinces in Indonesia. Tea production in West Sumatra in 2017 and 2018 was 1,916 to 1,905
tons [6].
Tea processing in Indonesia goes through several processes, including the drying process. Drying
plays a role in reducing the water content. It inhibits the growth of bacteria and fungi and reduces the
activity of enzymes that can damage the material to extend shelf life and preservation [7].
Green tea drying in Indonesia in general still uses firewood as a heat source. However, the smoke
produced by the firewood enters the drying chamber due to the blowing of the blower, so that it can
affect the quality of the green tea produced.

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The 4th International Conference on Sustainability Agriculture and Biosystem IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1059 (2022) 012022 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1059/1/012022

The green tea manufacturing process includes withering from the RP machine. Green tea leaves are
transferred to the OTR using a conveyor to the green tea processing room [8]. This room contains a lot
of smoke because the RP engine uses wood fuel as the heat source. This condition can reduce the quality
of the tea produced. The production room is filled with smoke because there is no airflow to remove the
smoke generated from burning wood. The allegation of smoky contaminants due to incomplete
combustion is a source of contamination, especially in factories that still use wood fuel [9]. Therefore,
a drying system is needed to measure and minimize the smoke entering the drying chamber in the green
tea drying process.
The drying system is designed by using a microcontroller-based smoke sensor and temperature
sensor. Using a microcontroller can make it easier to control the smoke and regulate the temperature
that enters the drying chamber by setting the temperature limit and smoke concentration according to
the specified value. If the smoke concentration and temperature in the drying chamber exceed the
specified value limits, the blower on the dryer will automatically turn on to stabilize the predetermined
temperature and smoke concentration.

2. Material and Methods

2.1 Components and Tools

This study used an experimental method by connecting electronic components and dryers. The
electronic components used are LCD 20 × 4 cm (1), push-button (2), SD card reader module (3), Arduino
pro mini (microcontroller) (4), temperature sensor DS18B20 (5), smoke sensor ZH03A (6 ), relay
module (7), and DHT11 RH sensor (8) (Figure 1). The tea dryer is made of stainless steel with a length
of 37 cm, a width of 33 cm, and a height of 24 cm (Figure 2). This tool is equipped with a drying rack,
two heaters as heaters in the drying chamber, one blower unit in the dryer with a size of 7.5 cm × 7.5
cm, and a wood-burning stove made of stainless steel as a smoke channel to the drying chamber with
dimensions of 18×18×25 cm.

Figure 1. Series of hardware

2
The 4th International Conference on Sustainability Agriculture and Biosystem IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1059 (2022) 012022 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1059/1/012022

Figure 2. The mechanic of hardware

2.2 Working Principles

The drying system begins with the microcontroller identifying the input and output ports that have been
set through the program, then set the temperature limit and smoke concentration, then processed by the
microcontroller so that it produces two outputs, namely the temperature and smoke concentration
display on the LCD, heater, and blower. If the temperature and concentration of smoke in the drying
chamber exceed the set limits, the blower on the dryer turns on automatically to stabilize the temperature
and smoke concentration that has been set.

2.3 Performance Test

The drying system performance test was carried out in a tea processing factory to measure the smoke
concentration and temperature in the drying chamber. The results of measurements at the factory are
then used to simulate the designed dryer. The measurement of smoke concentration and drying
temperature was carried out in drying process II using a Balltea (BT) machine because the drying
process was carried out using wood fuel. At this stage, the tea leaves were exposed to the smoke
produced by the burning of the wood for a long time.
The next step is to test the dryer with and without the material. The material used is tea leaves which
are dried to a maximum moisture content of 8% (SNI 3945, 2016). The test of the tool without materials
aims to see the distribution of the heat generated by the heating element and to see the control of smoke
and temperature on the microcontroller. The control system test aims to test the microcontroller-based
control system for the drying chamber. Parameters observed were smoke concentration and temperature.
Smoke concentration and temperature were observed every 15 minutes.

2.4 Water Content

The measurement of the moisture content of the material is calculated by the oven method [10], by
drying the empty dish with a temperature of 105oC for 1 hour in the oven (UN55 Memmert Germany).
The empty plate (w1 = Weight of the plate) is then cooled for 15 minutes in a desiccator and weighed.
The empty dish was filled with 5 grams of material (w2 = weight of the initial sample), then put in an
oven at 105oC to a constant weight. The dish containing the material was cooled for 15 minutes in a
desiccator, then the plate containing the material was weighed (w3 = sample weight + cup after drying).
The water content of the material can be calculated using Equation 1.
𝑤2 −(𝑤2−𝑤1 )
Water Content (bb %) = × 100% (1)
𝑤2

3
The 4th International Conference on Sustainability Agriculture and Biosystem IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1059 (2022) 012022 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1059/1/012022

3. Results and Discussion

Based on observations to the tea factory, the concentration of smoke obtained in the drying process II
using the Balltea machine (BT) was an average of 484 µg/m3 with an average drying temperature of
55oC. Figure 3 shows a graph measuring the concentration of smoke in the drying room at drying process
II in a tea processing plant. Based on Figure 3, it can be seen that the smoke concentration is in the range
of 465 µg/m3 to 484 µg/m3. The data from the measurement of temperature and smoke concentration in
the drying process II at the factory become a reference to simulate the drying process using the designed
tool. The drying system made can detect and control the smoke entering the drying chamber and control
the temperature during the drying process according to the results of measurements of smoke
concentration and temperature in the factory.

485
Smoke Concentration

480
(µg/m3)

475

470

465

460
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200
Time (Second)

Figure 3. The concentration of smoke in the drying chamber in the drying

process II using a balltea machine (BT) was measured in a tea processing
plant
Figure 4 shows the results of temperature measurements in the drying chamber of the tool, which is
designed without materials. The test of the tool without material aims to determine the temperature in
the drying chamber produced by the heater. In addition, the performance test without materials also aims
to see the control system's performance in the dryer. The temperature in the drying chamber is stable
within the specified set point. Thus, the temperature control system in the empty dryer works well.

Set point (55°C) Drying temperature

60
Drying temperature (°C)

50
40
30
20
10
0
0 30 60 90 120 150 180 210 240
Time (min)

Figure 4. The temperature in the drying chamber of the device is designed

under conditions without materials with a set point temperature of 55oC

4
The 4th International Conference on Sustainability Agriculture and Biosystem IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1059 (2022) 012022 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1059/1/012022

Tests of the dryer system for smoke control are also carried out when the appliance is without
materials. The performance test results without the measurement of smoke concentration in the drying
room were carried out in accordance with the smoke concentration in the drying process II with a set
point of 484 µg/m3. The performance test results without the measurement of smoke concentration in
the drying chamber set point of 484 µg/m3 can be seen in Figure 5. From the graph, it can be seen that
this device can control the smoke in the drying chamber in accordance with the specified smoke
concentration. Thus, the designed device can be used to simulate the drying process in a tea factory.

600

500
Smoke concentration (µg/m3

400

300

200
)

100

0
0 30 60 90 120 150 180 210 240
Time (min)

Figure 5. The concentration of smoke in the drying chamber in the condition

without ingredients with a smoke concentration set point of 484 µg/m3
Figure 6 shows the temperature in the drying chamber to simulate the drying process II of green tea
during the drying process. The initial temperature of the drying chamber reaches the set point, which is
55°C. The drying chamber temperature decreases to 45°C at the start of the drying process. This is due
to the transfer of heat from the heat source to the dried tea leaves. The temperature will return to stable
after the temperature of the tea leaves is equal to the set point. The average temperature returns to the
set point temperature, which is 55°C starting at 120 minutes.

Set Point 55°C Drying temperature

60
Drying Temperature (°C)

55
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
0 30 60 90 120 150 180 210 240
Time (min)

Figure 6. The drying temperature in the drying chamber to simulate the

drying process II of green tea with a set point temperature of 55oC

5
The 4th International Conference on Sustainability Agriculture and Biosystem IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1059 (2022) 012022 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1059/1/012022

The RH value in the drying chamber was also observed during the drying process. The device
designed does not control the RH but only records the RH value during the drying process. From the
observations, it was found that the RH value was inversely proportional to the drying temperature. If the
temperature is high, then the RH value is low, and vice versa. The average RH value in the drying
chamber is 20%—the RH value increases as the drying chamber temperature decrease. The RH of the
drying chamber during the drying process can be seen in Figure 7.

484 µg/m³
100
90
80
70
RH (%)

60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0 30 60 90 120 150 180 210 240
Time (min)

Figure 7. The RH value in the drying chamber of a device designed to

simulate the drying process II of green tea
The measurement of smoke concentration was observed using a ZH03A sensor. Observations were
carried out every 15 minutes during the drying process. The smoke concentration setpoint is 484 g/m3,
corresponding to the smoke concentration in the drying process II in the tea processing plant. If the
concentration of smoke in the drying chamber exceeds the set limit, the blower on the dryer turns on
automatically to stabilize the smoke concentration that has been set. The graph of observations of
various smoke concentrations can be seen in Figure 8.

484 µg/m³
Smoke concentration (µg/m3 )

600
500
400
300
200
100
0
0 30 60 90 120 150 180 210 240
Time (min)

Figure 8. The smoke concentration in the drying chamber of a device

designed to simulate the drying process II of green tea with a smoke
concentration set point of 484 µg/m3

6
The 4th International Conference on Sustainability Agriculture and Biosystem IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1059 (2022) 012022 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1059/1/012022

Based on Figure 8, for the smoke concentration set point of 484 µg/m3, the smoke concentration is
stable at the set point. However, based on the observation data, the smoke concentration still obtained
error data. The data is declared an error if the concentration of smoke that has reached the setpoint
decreases or increases by more than two µg/m3. The data error obtained is 6%. The data error is caused
by the lack of control of the smoke concentration that enters the drying chamber. Therefore, the smoke
generated from burning wood entering the drying chamber must be controlled more to minimize data
error.
After simulating the drying process II using the designed device, measuring the tea leaves' water
content using equation 1. Measurement of water content was carried out at the beginning and after the
drying process. The measurement results found that the water content of green tea leaves decreased from
the initial water content of 42.154% to the final water content of green tea leaves of 4.754%. The final
water content value is in accordance with the green tea quality requirements based on [11], which is a
maximum of 8%.

4. Conclusion
The use of a microcontroller-based control system to the drying process of tea could be applied to control
the smoke and temperature. The system could automatically and continually control smoke and
temperature produced by the firewood during the drying process. The water content produced after the
drying process met the quality standard of green tea. The results indicated that the system could be
applied to the tea factory that still uses firewood as fuel in the drying process.

Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Institute for Research and Community Service, Andalas University, for
the financial support with contract number T/6/UN.16.17/PT.01.03/PT-PP/2019.

5. References
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anthraquinone by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry J. Sains and Tech Farm 19
[3] Yulianis Y 2015 Analysis of Factors Affecting Productivity of Picking Tea Plants (Camellia sinensis.
L) at PTPN VI, Twin Lakes Business Unit, Solok Regency (Payakumbuh: Politeknik Pertanian
Negeri Payakumbuh)
[4] Martono Y and Martono S 2012 High performance liquid chromatography analysis for the
determination of gallic acid, caffeine and gallic epigallocatechin in some Tea Bag Products J.
Agri tech 32 4
[5] Indonesian Central Statistics Agency 2018 Indonesian Tea Statistics 2018 (Jakarta: BPS RI)
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(Padang: BPS Provinsi Sumatera Barat)
[7] Ananda A D 2009 Antioxidant Activity and Organoleptic Characteristics of Green Tea (Camellia
sinensis) Instant Spice Functional Drink (Bogor: Institut Pertanian Bogor)
[8] Anggraini T, Neswati, Nanda RF and Syukri D 2020 Identification of 9,10 anthraquinone
contamination during black and green tea processing in Indonesia. J. Food Chem
[9] Suprihartini R, Shabri and Maulana H 2019 Results of a preliminary study on anthraquinone (9,10-
AQ) contaminants in Indonesian tea J. Rekayasa dan Manajemen 7 No.1 121 – 132.
[10] AOAC 1995 Official Methods of Analysis of The Association of Analytical Chemists (Washington
DC)
[11] Indonesian national standard 2016 Green tea (SNI 3945: 2016)