Encapsulation process is a method by which sensitive materials (core) are covered with polymeric materials (wall). As most encapsulation techniques need complicated equipments, long laboratory works and are expensive, therefore, in this study a new technique is utilized for producing microcapsules at a very short time and low cost. This technique is based on the difference between dielectric constants of core and wall materials as well as electromagnetic energy. Edible citric acid crystals (core) were combined with some coating materials such as salab, gum tragacanth, refined starch, sucrose, guar gum, agarose, gelatin, fibrosis carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), inulin, low and high methoxyl pectin (LMP & HMP), casein, and sorbitol at ratios about 1:2 up to 1:100 (core:wall). Each mixture was treated up to 600 seconds (depending on the type of wall materials) at various microwave power intensities (10-100%). Afterwards, the prepared microcapsules were separated by distinct (with defined mesh No.) sieves, and their apparent structure and quality were evaluated using binocular and their photographs were taken by a microscope equipped with digital camera. Our findings revealed that amongst the materials were examined only inulin, casein, LMP (9.5%), fibrosis CMC, and sorbitol were able to produce high quality as well as highly efficient microcapsules, respectively. In addition, the highest coating efficiency was seen at 100% microwave power intensity (1200W) at 1:10 mixing ratio. Moreover, the optimum microwave treating time for casein, inulin, fibrosis CMC, LMP (9.5%), and sorbitol was 400, 75, 400, 100, and 100 seconds, respectively.

Objective: Acanthamoeba is a free-living and opportunistic amoeba that the potential of this parasite to convert to a cyst, making its treatment difficult. In this study, we investigated the effect of microwave radiation on Acanthamoeba cysts in vitro. Methods: Acanthamoeba cysts were reproduced in the culture medium. We divided 16 test tubes containing cysts into two groups. The contents of 8 tubes were irradiated with continuous microwave in the time range of 0-120 s, and the next 8 tubes were irradiated with repetitive microwave in the range of 0-360 s. The mortality of cysts at the end of irradiation was recorded and compared with control. Results: Continuous and repetitive irradiation of microwave resulted in mortality of 100 (%) of Acanthamoeba cysts during 120 and 360 seconds, respectively. In continuous mode, parasite mortality in all groups was significantly different from the control group (P<0. 0001). But in the repetition pattern only in groups that had been irradiated for more than 60 seconds, parasite mortality was significantly different from the control group (P<0. 0001). Conclusion: The change of radiation mode from continuous to repetitive, reduces the thermal effects of the MICROWAVES but does not affect the mortality rate of Acanthamoeba cysts. Therefore, probably the impact of MICROWAVES was not only caused by the increase in ambient heat but also its another property is involved in the death of Acanthamoeba.

The effects of MICROWAVES on physicochemical properties of corn and oat starches were investigated.  Separate suspensions of corn and oat starches in distilled water (8% w/w) were made and heated in a microwave oven at frequency of 2450 MHz and power of 360 W for 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10 min. Then, swelling power, solubility, relative viscosity (using U-tube viscometer), cold water viscosity (using Rapid Visco Analyser) and textural properties (using Texture Profile Analyser) were investigated. Results showed that as the time of microwave processing increased, cold water viscosity and gel hardness decreased, however, swelling power and water solubility increased. Comparing to the conventional heating method, more reduction in the relative viscosity was observed for the microwave processed samples. In general, results showed that microwave processing had a stonger effects on structural and molecular properties of corn and oat starches than the conventional cooking. These changes may be further affect the quality of the final products.

Hexamethylenetetramine-bromine on wet alumina rapidly regenerates carbonyl compounds from their corresponding semicarbazone using microwave under solventless system.

Domestic companies in metal and alloy production have faced many problems in providing the required energy. These companies often use traditional industrial furnaces, which consume a lot of energy, have a very negative impact on the environment. For this reason, the use of modern low-consumption processes for metal oxide reduction will be of great interest. In this research, the carbon bed of a new metal oxide reduction system operated under microwave heating is modeled. In this system, the carbon bed is responsible for the heating process and converts electromagnetic waves into heat. In this system, because the metal oxide granules are imbedded inside the carbon bed that converts almost all electromagnetic waves, the heating effects of metal oxides were ignored. Comparison of the modeling results with experimental data related to carbon bed temperature rising trend showed that the used model has good accuracy and the average error is less than 5%. Based on the modeling, it was found that the carbon bed temperature (excluding metal oxide granules) increased around 9% by increasing the microwave power from 1000 w to 1200 w. In addition, SiC had better performance compared to the carbon bed in terms of the rate of generated heat. It was determined that the maximum temperature decreased by increasing the carbon emissivity parameter and the final bed temperature increased by 9% after 15 minutes by changing the emissivity parameter from 0.95 to 0.65.

Microwave assisted organic synthesis is an environment friendly approach to synthesis as it is simple, innovative, gives high yield at low cost, and reduces the use of solvents. Conventional methods used in chemical synthetic processes involve the use of substances that are harmful to the environment. To cope with this issue, chemists were in search of a green alternative to conventional chemical practices that resulted in the development of a new branch of chemistry known as “Green chemistry”. It foresees minimum impact to the environment as aprimary criteria while developing any new chemical process. This predetermined target of green chemistry is achieved by considering different gist areas such as elimination of the use of traditional organic solvents if possible, finding alternative reaction media, conditions to minimize undesirable chemical waste formation, reaction rate enhancement using MICROWAVES as energy source, etc. Microwave technique involves energy transfer that leads to rapid and uniform heating of the dielectric materials which often results in homogeneity and increased yield of the resultant products. It has numerous advantages over conventional thermal process such as shorter reaction time, better yield product, and less energy consumption. The present article describes microwave irradiation as a valuable energy efficient alternative to the conventional heating for greener organic synthesis.