Controlling Ethylene for Extended Preservation of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

This paper describes work conducted to enhance the quality of fresh produce delivered to troops around the world. Specifically, the program objective is to control ethylene produced by fresh fruits and vegetables FFV in refrigerated containers with the use of a novel Ethylene Elimination Unit EEU. This paper describes the analytical, experimental, and design work conducted to establish the feasibility of the EEU. Analytical modeling and process simulation were used throughout the design process as a means of predicting the performance of the system design. Reaction kinetics of the ozonolysis of ethylene were modeled using the Chemkin trademark analysis platform the results were compared to experimental data. The reaction rate results were incorporated into a process simulation to determine the effects of key design parameters on the overall performance of the system. Integrating process simulation into the design process enabled development of a prototype EEU that meets or exceeds performance and cost goals.