Applications of Microwave Processing for the Cannabis Industry
(Room Elevation Lounge (Booth #1642))
23 Jul 19
11:30 AM
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11:50 AM
That microwaves can transform organic products was accidentally discovered in 1945 when an engineer walked by a microwave generator with a candy bar in his pocket: instant molten chocolate. Since that time, the science of applying microwaves to heat, to dry, to extract, to synthesize, to make plasmas, to make diamonds - and to make sure that we don't accidentally melt hidden candy bars - has moved from the lab to large scale production. The common core of all microwave applications, the reason to use microwaves, is that they bring energy to a process with precision and specificity such that the process can be faster than can be achieved with other methods. The applications most relevant to the cannabis industry are fast extraction, fast drying, and fast pasteurization. Each application must consider the details of the incoming product, the constraints of the process, and the requirements for the process output. In this presentation, I will present the science, review the production applications in place today, and consider how microwaves might serve the cannabis industry in the future.