Why is dry compressed air introduced into the pipeline after tea leaves are pulverized?

I. Achieving Efficient Pneumatic Conveying

After tea leaves are crushed, their physical form changes from whole leaves to fine particles or powder. At this stage, conventional mechanical conveying methods can easily lead to material buildup or dust dispersion. Introducing compressed air allows the airflow to serve as the driving force, enabling pneumatic conveying of tea powder through sealed pipelines. This approach not only offers high conveying efficiency but also effectively reduces dust pollution in the production environment, ensuring a clean workshop.

II. Strictly control moisture to prevent tea powder from clumping.

Tea leaves exhibit extremely strong hygroscopicity, and the specific surface area of powdered tea increases dramatically after grinding, making it even more sensitive to moisture. If the compressed air introduced contains moisture, it can directly cause the tea powder to absorb humidity, clump together, and even lead to mold growth, severely compromising the tea’s color, aroma, and taste. Therefore, it is essential to use air that has undergone rigorous dehydration treatment.Dry compressed air, thereby preventing moisture from entering at the source and ensuring the tea powder’s dryness and looseness.

III. Prevention of Pipe Adhesion and Blockage

During transport, tea powder can easily adhere to the inner walls of the pipeline due to static electricity or trace amounts of moisture. Over time, these deposits thicken, eventually leading to blockages that disrupt production continuity. Dry compressed air not only maintains a dry internal environment within the pipeline, reducing the likelihood of material adhesion, but also serves to purge and clean the pipeline during shutdowns or batch changes, ensuring smooth equipment operation.

IV. Maintaining Tea Quality and Extending Shelf Life

The tea polyphenols, aromatic compounds, and other constituents in tea are highly susceptible to oxidation under humid conditions. Transporting tea with dry air can reduce the local relative humidity within the conveying system, thereby slowing the rate of oxidation of its internal components. This helps preserve the original flavor of the ground tea as much as possible and enhances the quality and stability of the final product.