The effects of the initial MC (A) and inlet air temperature (B) on the final MC were extremely significant ( P < 0.0001), that of feed rate (C) was generally significant, and that of inlet velocity (D) on deposition rate was not significant.
In contrast, when the inlet velocity increased from 11 to 13 m/s, the final MC showed a decreasing trend, indicating that the increased airflow velocity caused the boundary layer on the WF surface to be destroyed and caused the moisture on the WF surface to be quickly carried away as vapor.
The variance analysis of RSM showed that there was a highly significant relationship between the process factors of the regression model and the final MC of poplar fiber.
When the airflow velocity increased, the WFs had a short residence time in the equipment, and the MC showed an increasing trend.