Thermal drying has been recognized as an important unit operation as it is ener- intensive and has a decisive effect on the quality of most products that are dried commercially. Escalating energy costs, demand for eco-friendly and sustainable te- nologies as well as the rising consumer demand for higher quality products, have given fresh incentives to industry and academia to devote great effort to drying R&D. Fortunately, this area does not demand a massive perfusion of R&D funds to come up with valuable insights and innovations, with only a few exceptions. Indeed, there is already a...