A method for drying at least one sample of material is provided. The method includes placing the at least one sample of material into a chamber and then sealing the chamber. The method includes applying a vacuum to the chamber in order to reduce the pressure therein. The method includes heating the at least one sample using electromagnetic energy while applying the vacuum to the chamber. The method includes measuring at least one condition of the chamber and determining that the sample is dry based on the at least one monitored condition.

The present invention is directed to a process for drying a material comprising at least one polysaccharide, said process comprising a step wherein the material is submitted to microwave irradiations under conditions which do not degrade said polysaccharide.

Wood kilns, electrode systems for wood kilns, and methods of using the systems for the radiofrequency (RF) drying and phytosanitizing of wood are provided. The electrode systems are based on a three-electrode design in which a central plate electrode having winged edges is disposed between a pair of ground plate electrodes. The winged edges of the central electrode improve the uniformity of heating during the phytosanitizing process, relative to a five-electrode parallel plate system, or a three-electrode parallel plate system having a conventional planar central plate electrode.

A continuous microwave vacuum-drying method includes loading, onto a conveyor belt, a lower half of an integrated container, filing, by a frozen-drug dispenser, a first chamber of a lower half of an integrated container with a frozen compound, exposing, by microwave emitters within a vacuum chamber, the frozen compound of the first chamber of the lower half of the integrated container to microwave radiation to lyophilize the frozen compound into a lyophilized compound, filing, by a reconstitution solution dispenser, a second chamber of the lower half of the integrated container with a reconstitution solution, removing, by the conveyor belt, the lower half of the integrated container out of the vacuum chamber, and sealing, by a container sealer, an upper half of the integrated container onto the lower half of the integrated container to create a prefilled integrated package.

A method of drying high sugar content food products such as honey and molasses in a vacuum microwave chamber. The method comprises loading the food product into the vacuum chamber, and exposing the food product to a vacuum pressure in the range of 45 to 250 Torr (60 to 333 mbar) in the vacuum chamber while irradiating the food product with microwave radiation. This dries the food product and forms a porous structure. The method minimizes or prevents foaming and dries the product at a temperature that prevents burning, while reducing the moisture content to a very low level.

A terpene extraction system and method for efficiently extracting valuable terpenes from biological material, such as hemp. The terpene extraction system and method generally includes a fluid-bed mixer having a vessel, wherein the vessel can hold a vacuum and contain microwaves such that microwaves and vacuum can be applied to biological material in the vessel. The system also may include a microwave generator adapted to provide microwave radiation to the vessel, and one or more paddles adapted to move within the vessel, such that the paddle can agitate the biological material in the vessel and create a fluid bed. The system also includes a cold trap assembly in fluid communication with the vessel; and a vacuum pump in fluid communication with the vessel and the cold trap assembly, such that the vacuum pump can create a vacuum in the vessel by drawing vapor through the cold trap assembly.

The disclosure in some aspects relates to systems and related methods for the continuous freeze-drying of materials (e.g., pharmaceuticals) with high speed and control.

A drying method includes an initial decompressing and temperature-lowering step of decompressing the chamber and lowering an air temperature inside the chamber by operating a decompression pump; and a drying cycle step that is repeatedly performed a plurality of times to dry an object to be dried after performing the initial decompressing and temperature-lowering step. The drying cycle step includes a microwave heating step of heating the object in the chamber by microwave irradiation in the chamber and a decompressing and temperature-lowering step of decompressing the chamber and lowering the air temperature inside the chamber again after performing the microwave heating step by operating the decompression pump with the microwave irradiation being stopped.

A method and apparatus for pasteurizing and drying cannabis plant materials using a microwave-vacuum chamber. The pasteurizing and drying are carried out with no use of ionizing radiation and with rapid drying. Pasteurization is done at a temperature and for a time period that are sufficient to reduce microorganisms to an acceptably low level, while not significantly reducing the psychoactive compounds in the material. In the process, the pressure inside a vacuum chamber is reduced to a first pressure less than atmospheric. The material is maintained in the vacuum chamber at the first pressure at a pasteurizing temperature while irradiating the material with microwave radiation. The pressure is then reduced to a second pressure lower than the first pressure and the material is maintained in the vacuum chamber at the second pressure for a time period at a dehydrating temperature lower than the pasteurizing temperature while irradiating the material with microwave radiation. The pasteurizing and dehydrating steps can be done in the reverse order.

The present invention aims to provide a method and an apparatus for producing a lyophilized body, each of which can achieve energy saving, low cost, and a reduction in processing time and can provide a lyophilized body less damaged by a freezing process and a drying process. The present invention relates to a method for lyophilizing a substance using an electromagnetic wave, and the lyophilization method includes freezing the substance under irradiation of at least an electromagnetic wave and reduced-pressure drying the frozen substance under irradiation of at least an electromagnetic wave.