Abstract
Microwave energy drying under vacuum was investigated for alginate-starch hydrogel. Drying was conducted using 2450 MHz microwave energy at 25 mm Hg absolute pressure and different power levels; e.g., 300, 500, 700, 900, and 1100 watts. Drying was continued until final moisture content of the sample reached less than 1% wet basis. Moisture loss during drying was measured at 3-min intervals. Drying kinetics were used to describe both macroscopic and microscopic mechanisms of heat and mass transfer. Experimental drying kinetic data were fitted to a mathematical model. Experimental drying data points were fitted to an empirical model equation.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We acknowledge the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for the Postdoctoral Fellowship and Discovery grant awarded to do this and related research.