The Advantages of Microwave Technology
The key to MAP™'s success is that the driving force for extraction is not limited to the process of diffusion. Conventional solid-liquid extraction involves soaking, washing or contacting the solid material with (usually hot (50°'C to 80°C) solvent to extract the target compounds. Extraction occurs by diffusion, meaning that the only driving force for the process is the concentration gradient of the product between the source material and the solvent. In addition, the diffusivity of the solvent itself (i.e. its ability to penetrate into the solid and dissolve the desired components) is very important. Conventional extraction systems are therefore all designed around these limitations: countercurrent flows are used to maximize concentration gradients, high temperatures are used to maximize diffusion rates, and sometimes very high pressures are used to make fluids supercritical so that diffusivity limitations are overcome. The result is that tradeoffs are invariably necessary - often the choice of solvents is limited, and long extraction times and high temperatures are required. In addition, the products of interest are often unstable, so they can be thermally degraded by spending prolonged periods soaking in hot solvent.
Microwaves, on the other hand, allow for the almost instantaneous 'in core' heating of materials. This feature, combined with Radient's revolutionary ability to selectively deposit microwave energy into different parts of a complicated system, permits enormous flexibility and control for designing and implementing novel, energy-efficient processes. This translates into direct benefits for Radient's clients in that they can improve many of the important attributes of their products, including product purity and sensitive molecule stability, plus they may be able to reduce their processing costs. In certain instances, this ability to be selective can enable cost effective recovery of compounds that were previously ignored due to extraction costs. Finally, the very fast extraction rates and high yields from single-stage extraction opens the door to efficient downstream purification and isolation steps that are not economical with conventional methods.
In summary, MAP™ technology differs fundamentally from conventional solvent extraction in three key ways:
- Extraction Driving Force
- - pressure versus diffusion driven
- Energy Deposition
- - targeted versus diffuse
- Selectivity
- - highly selective versus fixed
These three core technical differences manifest themselves as distinct product or process advantages for Radient as compared to conventional extraction methods. These product advantages are directly attributable to the technical superiority of Radient's process as summarized in the following table and create Radient's core value proposition of improving existing products, reducing costs, and enabling potential new products while consistently offering improved environmental benefits:
Examples of the MAP™ Advantage:
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