Microwave and Hot Air Drying of Wood Using a Rectangular Waveguide

In this study, the microwave and hot air drying of wood using a rectangular waveguide (TE10 mode) were investigated experimentally. Most important, this study focuses on the investigation of drying phenomena under a microwave environment. In this analysis, the effects of the irradiation time, hot air temperature, sample thickness, and microwave power level on overall drying kinetics were studied. The results showed that the variations of irradiation time, microwave power level, hot air temperature, and sample thickness played an important role in overall drying kinetics. These findings are significant for further research in similar studies. Further quantitative validation of experimental data could be very useful, especially in providing information for developing high-performance microwave drying processing.