Lufttørk

Lufttørk, or air-drying, is the drying process in which moisture is removed from a material by exposure to ambient air, without the use of heat or forced drying equipment. The speed and uniformity of lufttørk depend on airflow, temperature, relative humidity, and the nature of the material.

In practice, increasing airflow (natural or forced) and controlling humidity can accelerate drying. Low humidity and good ventilation speed up evaporation; high humidity slows and can lead to mold or tackiness.

Common applications include woodworking (wood dries as moisture evaporates), painting and coating (films form as solvents evaporate), textiles (laundry), and food preservation (air-dried meats and fruits).

Advantages of lufttørk are that it is energy-efficient, gentler on heat-sensitive materials, and simple. Disadvantages include slow drying, risk of uneven drying, contamination by dust, moisture reabsorption, and dependence on external weather conditions.

Related terms include lufttørking (the act of air-drying) and lufttørker (an air dryer). It is contrasted with varme tørking (heat drying) or tørking i tørkerom (drying in a drying chamber), where temperature and controlled environments are used to speed or standardize the process.