Objective To address key issues in conventional soy sauce residue drying processes, including high energy consumption, severe equipment corrosion, and the susceptibility of heat-sensitive nutrients to degradation, a novel integrated drying system was designed and developed to achieve high efficiency, energy savings, and reliable product quality.Methods The system integrates key technologies such as spiral air-duct drying and two-stage dust removal. Based on the reverse Carnot cycle principle of a heat pump, a low-temperature drying environment of 40~75 ℃ was established, with the aim of reducing energy consumption while maximizing the retention of the material’s original quality.Results The system achieved a processing capacity of 130 t/d (initial moisture content of 32%) and was able to consistently reduce the moisture content of soy sauce residue to below 15%. The specific moisture extraction rate reached 3.3 kg/(kW·h), demonstrating significant energy-saving performance. Physicochemical analysis confirmed that the retention rate of key nutrients, such as crude protein, exceeded 95% after drying. The dried residue exhibited stable properties, met food-grade standards, and could be directly used for subsequent resource utilization.Conclusion The integrated low-temperature heat pump belt drying system developed in this study effectively resolves the conflict between energy efficiency and product quality in soy sauce residue drying. It provides a reliable technical solution for the efficient and high-value utilization of high-salt, high-moisture, and heat-sensitive by-products.