Nowadays, microwave assisted extraction is used frequently as a sample preparation technique as well as for lab scale extraction. Is it possible to scale up this extraction process to industrial scale? Which factors should be considered while scale up? What are the hurdles to be tackled while scale up?
The main obstacle is the thickness and frequency of electromagnetic radiation. If you want to carry out to large-scale extraction should use a lower frequency (915 MHz) then you allow the penetration of electromagnetic waves at a greater depth. The disadvantage of this solution is slower warm-up time and irregular heating of the sample. A better solution is to use a higher frequency (2.45 GHz), but then the maximum thickness of the sample does not exceed 2 cm because the waves at this frequency have a smaller length and the ability to penetrate the sample.
The scale up is possible. There are microwave assisted large scale instruments available. Microwave reactors, Microwave extractors can be found in market. Try any of them. But, they are costly.
Dear Prof Kulkarni
Who are the suppliers for the industrial scale of this technology?