In the early days of the TORBED technology, mineral and food applications advanced in parallel. This is proving true of our microwave equipped TOWAVE processor as well. We recently sold one for a mineral drying application. Much of our early test work has been on foodstuffs including coffee, malt and cocoa.
Malt (mostly from barley) was selected because it has excellent fluidisation properties, it absorbs microwave energy easily and is representative of grain types that require real-world processing. The even and volumetric heating generated in the TORWAVE processor meant that the malt was uniformly processed, not just an even roast from grain to grain, but also throughout the individual grains themselves. This demonstrates a key benefit of the combination of microwave and conventional heating in that it is possible to target any temperature profile required throughout the entire grain. This control over particulate processing is possible with any microwave absorbent material including many minerals, carbonaceous materials or biomasses, and damp, wet or moisture-containing feedstocks, offering an unparalleled level of thermal process control.
The TORWAVE processor offers a significant advance in the capabilities of thermal processing equipment.
