A helicopter view of microwave application to chemical processes: reactions, separations, and equipment concepts

We present a helicopter view of microwave technology application to various reaction and separation processes, including liquid-phase organic syntheses, gas-solid catalytic reactions, polymerizations, extraction, distillation, crystallization, membrane separation, and adsorbent regeneration/dehydration. The overarching aim is to demonstrate the breadth of potential applications of microwave technology to chemical industry, with particular attention to separations, as this is a less explored microwave application area. In this context, some key findings, opinions, and developments in the relevant literature are summarized. In addition, the present microwave equipment concepts for chemical processes are critically reviewed and new ones are put forward, as we believe that an important milestone in the road from laboratory-scale microwave experimentation to industrial-scale microwave-assisted chemical processing is the design and development of innovative microwave equipment concepts tailored for specific chemical processes.