Microwave Heating Assisted Biorefinery of Biomass

Author(s):  
Sherif Farag ◽  
Jamal Chaouki

This chapter debates the potential of the biorefinery of biomass using microwave heating. First, the essential information regarding electromagnetic radiation is explained and the pros and cons of microwave heating versus conventional heating, especially in the thermochemical treatment of biomass, are discussed. Different methodologies for predicting and measuring the temperature gradient within a material subjected to electromagnetic waves are demonstrated. The chapter summarizes the key conclusions of various investigations regarding the effects of microwave heating on chemical reactions and presents how electromagnetic radiation can assist the biorefinery of biomass. Finally, the issues and limitations regarding scaling-up microwave heating are elucidated, along with possible solutions to these problems.

1992 ◽  
Vol 269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey J. Thomas ◽  
Renee R. Jesse ◽  
D. Lynn Johnson ◽  
Hamlin M. Jennings

ABSTRACTThe use of microwave heating for the processing of reaction-bonded silicon nitride offers at least two advantages over conventional heating methods. First, the reaction can be made to proceed preferentially in the interior of the reacting compact by maximizing the temperature gradient resulting from microwave heating. This helps maintain the flow of nitrogen into the compact during the later stages of the reaction, when the overall porosity is reduced. Second, the reaction rate can be controlled by changing the power, which gives better control over the processing than can be obtained using conventional heating.


Author(s):  
Anthony S-Y Leong ◽  
David W Gove

Microwaves (MW) are electromagnetic waves which are commonly generated at a frequency of 2.45 GHz. When dipolar molecules such as water, the polar side chains of proteins and other molecules with an uneven distribution of electrical charge are exposed to such non-ionizing radiation, they oscillate through 180° at a rate of 2,450 million cycles/s. This rapid kinetic movement results in accelerated chemical reactions and produces instantaneous heat. MWs have recently been applied to a wide range of procedures for light microscopy. MWs generated by domestic ovens have been used as a primary method of tissue fixation, it has been applied to the various stages of tissue processing as well as to a wide variety of staining procedures. This use of MWs has not only resulted in drastic reductions in the time required for tissue fixation, processing and staining, but have also produced better cytologic images in cryostat sections, and more importantly, have resulted in better preservation of cellular antigens.


Catalysts ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincenzo Palma ◽  
Daniela Barba ◽  
Marta Cortese ◽  
Marco Martino ◽  
Simona Renda ◽  
...  

Since the late 1980s, the scientific community has been attracted to microwave energy as an alternative method of heating, due to the advantages that this technology offers over conventional heating technologies. In fact, differently from these, the microwave heating mechanism is a volumetric process in which heat is generated within the material itself, and, consequently, it can be very rapid and selective. In this way, the microwave-susceptible material can absorb the energy embodied in the microwaves. Application of the microwave heating technique to a chemical process can lead to both a reduction in processing time as well as an increase in the production rate, which is obtained by enhancing the chemical reactions and results in energy saving. The synthesis and sintering of materials by means of microwave radiation has been used for more than 20 years, while, future challenges will be, among others, the development of processes that achieve lower greenhouse gas (e.g., CO2) emissions and discover novel energy-saving catalyzed reactions. A natural choice in such efforts would be the combination of catalysis and microwave radiation. The main aim of this review is to give an overview of microwave applications in the heterogeneous catalysis, including the preparation of catalysts, as well as explore some selected microwave assisted catalytic reactions. The review is divided into three principal topics: (i) introduction to microwave chemistry and microwave materials processing; (ii) description of the loss mechanisms and microwave-specific effects in heterogeneous catalysis; and (iii) applications of microwaves in some selected chemical processes, including the preparation of heterogeneous catalysts.


OCL ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhana Petkova ◽  
Ginka Antova

Current paper reveals the impact of thermal treatment on the quality of two seed oils – pumpkin and melon compared to the quality of the most used oil – sunflower oil. Conventional and microwave heating were used for processing the oils. The duration of the thermal treatment was 9, 12 and 18 min for the conventional heating. The microwave heating was performed with two microwave powers of the equipment (600 W and 900 W) for 3, 6, 9 and 12 min. At every stage of the thermal processing were determined acid and peroxide value, the absorbance of the oils at 232 and 268 nm, tocopherol and fatty acid composition. It was observed that the degree of oxidation of the examined oils during microwave and conventional heating increased with the duration of the thermal process and the power of the microwaves. Also, the two methods of heating had a little impact on the processes leading to the formation of free fatty acids. Total tocopherols of the melon seed oil were more stable to thermal treatment. The amount of linoleic acid decreased in the pumpkin and sunflower oils during microwave treatment, while that of oleic and palmitic acid relatively increased. The biggest change in the fatty acid composition of both oils was found during microwave heating at 900W. The changes in fatty acid composition of thermally treated melon seed oil were insignificant. Overall, melon seed oil was observed to be more thermally stable than pumpkin and sunflower oils.


2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guozhen Zhao ◽  
Jianhua Liu ◽  
Lei Xu ◽  
Shenghui Guo

Abstract The effects of the conventional heating method and the microwave heating method on polyacrylonitrile-based fibres in the temperature range of 180–280 °C were investigated. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray wide-angle scattering, Raman spectroscopy, energy-dispersive spectrometer, scanning electron microscopy and bulk density were used to characterise the properties of the samples. Results show that the microwave heating method can shorten the pre-oxidation time, reduce pre-oxidation temperature and reduce the number of surface defects. The pre-oxidised fibres obtained by the microwave heating method exhibit not only good crystallite size but also a smooth surface. Atomic morphology and molecular arrangement are orderly inside the fibre. The FT-IR spectrum shows that the oxidation reaction occurs at 220 °C, and the CI value of PAN fibers stabilised by microwave heating is the larger than the fibers stabilised by conventional heating. XRD analysis shows that fibers stabilised by microwave heating have low stack domains. The SEM and Raman spectra indicate that hydrogen peroxide can improve the surface finish of the fibers and reduce defects. Microwave heating can reduce the pre-oxidation temperature by about 20 °C and shorten the heating time. The economic benefits of using this method are significantly improved.


2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siwen Tang ◽  
Rui Wang ◽  
Pengfei Liu ◽  
Qiulin Niu ◽  
Guoqing Yang ◽  
...  

AbstractWith the concern of the environment, green dry cutting technology is getting more and more attention and self-lubricating tool technology plays an important role in dry cutting. Due to the demand for high temperature performance of tools during dry cutting process, cemented carbide with Ni3Al as the binder phase has received extensive attention due to its excellent high temperature strength and high temperature oxidation resistance. In this paper, WC-TiC-Ni3Al-CaF2 graded self-lubricating material and tools were prepared by microwave heating method, and its microstructure, mechanical properties and cutting performance were studied. Results show that gradient self-lubricating material can be quickly prepared by microwave heating technology, and the strength is equivalent to that of conventional heating technology. CaF2 not only plays a role in self-lubrication, but also refines the grain of the material. A reasonable gradient design can improve the mechanical properties of the material. When the gradient distribution exponent is n1 = 2, the material has high mechanical properties. Cutting experiments show that the WC-TiC-Ni3Al-CaF2 functional gradient self-lubricating tool has better cutting performance than the homogeneous WC-TiC-Ni3Al hard alloys.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 3853-3859 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daming Fan ◽  
Lijie Li ◽  
Nana Zhang ◽  
Yueliang Zhao ◽  
Ka-Wing Cheng ◽  
...  

Microwave heating produced less genotoxic PhIP and more human beneficial 6-CEPQ and 8-CEPQ than conventional heating.


1992 ◽  
Vol 287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey J. Thomas ◽  
Hamlin M. Jennings ◽  
D. Lynn Johnson

ABSTRACTSilicon compacts nitrided utilizing the temperature gradient inherent to microwave heating were more fully converted to silicon nitride than was possible with similar compacts nitrided isothermally. Although nitrogen depletion prevented the reaction rate in the center from exceeding that at the surface, the temperature gradient partially counteracted the effect of nitrogen depletion. Thus the microwave-heated specimens could be nitrided fully before the reduction in porosity that accompanies the reaction eliminated the diffusion of nitrogen into the compact.


1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik T. Thostenson ◽  
Tsu-Wei Chou

Abstract In conventional joining of composite materials and sandwich structures, reductions in processing time are limited by inefficient heat transfer. In conventional processing the thermal energy must diffuse through the composite layers to heat the joint interface and cure the thermosetting adhesive, and this outside-in process of heating results in excessive processing times and wasted energy. The purpose of the current work is to examine microwave heating as an alternative to conventional heating for joining of composite structures. Through proper material selection, microwaves are able to penetrate the substrate materials and cure the adhesives in-situ. Selective heating with microwaves is achieved by incorporating interlayer materials that have high dielectric loss properties relative to the substrate materials. In this study, a processing window for elevated temperature curing of an epoxy paste adhesive system (HYSOL EA 9359.3) was developed and composite joint systems were manufactured using conventional and microwave techniques and tested in shear. Microwave curing resulted in both enhanced shear strength and less scatter in experimental data.


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