Development and Testing of a Microwave Powered Regenerable Air Purification Technology Demonstrator 2002-01-2403

Dielectric heating via microwave irradiation of contaminant laden sorbents offers distinct advantages in comparison to conventional thermal regeneration techniques. High temperatures may be achieved very rapidly because electromagnetic energy is absorbed directly by the sorbent material. A Technology Demonstrator, incorporating efficient rectangular waveguide based sorbent cartridge designs and effective microwave transmission systems was designed, fabricated and tested. Importantly, the performance of the Molecular Sieve 13X Waveguide Cartridge for the removal of water vapor, the Molecular Sieve 5A Waveguide Cartridge for the removal of CO₂, and the Activated Carbon Waveguide Cartridge for removal of volatile organics from air, were each validated by successive sorption/ microwave desorption cycles.