Energy analysis of microwave heating process of corn straw particles in a microwave chamber

Microwave treatment of biomass has a wide range of applications, and the study of its microwave heating performance and energy analysis is important for an in-depth understanding of the microwave treatment of biomass. In this study, the effects of particle sizes (0.075, 0.125, 0.200, 0.355 and 0.600 mm), feeding loads (10, 16, 22, 28, and 34 g) and microwave powers (400, 450, 500, 550, and 600 W) on the corn straw particles microwave heating performances were investigated, and the process was quantitatively described from the aspect of energy analysis. In this study, the corn straw average heating rate varied in the range of 23.06~101.46 °C/min, and the energy efficiency varied in the range of 1.46~10.36%. The results showed that smaller particle size, higher feeding load and higher microwave power could result in higher heating rate and higher energy efficiency of corn straw particles.