Gary J. Lye1, Dr Emily Kostas1, John P Robinson2
1The Advanced Centre of Biochemical Engineering, Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London, London, United Kingdom, 2Faculty of Engineering, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
Correspondence: Emily T. Kostas, e.kostas@ucl.ac.uk
Microwave heating has attracted much attention in recent years due to the advantages associated with dielectric heating. This includes the ability to overcome heat transfer limitation effects that are traditionally associated with conventional heating, resulting in higher heating rates, faster processing times, and the ability to efficiently control the heating environment. Importantly, due to the instantaneous volumetric heating attributes associated with microwaves, the potential to produce a range of different products from biomass resulting from unique thermal gradients is feasible. As such, the potential to incorporate microwave heating within a seaweed based biorefinery is promising. Nonetheless, research on this topic is still relatively sparse and the compatibilities of the technology for seaweed biorefining require further understanding to maximise value of this feedstock. The present research will explore the suitability of applying i) microwave pyrolysis and ii) microwave extraction within a biorefinery process using the UK native brown kelp Laminaria digitata. Specifically, understanding how the effects of microwave specific energy and power influence the production of pyrolysis bio-oil and bio-char, and the extraction of alginate and fucoidan are discussed, and thereby the potential application of these products of value across different industries.