Biopharmaceutical Application of Microwave Technology and the Scalability Concerns

Since their invention, microwaves have found significant use in different fields, including medicines and food processing, as well as sterilization of microorganisms for use in biomedical treatment and research. Various scientific studies have demonstrated microwave application's capability as clean technology and a veritable solution for producing a pure and desirable drug candidate in bio-nutraceuticals processing. Microwave treatment, therefore, offers an efficient approach by combining electromagnetic waves with multi-directional heating technologies. It provides the prospect of shorter processing times, a better degree of selectivity, lower and greener energy use for producing high-quality medicinal products. Ionic conduction and dipole rotation have been identified as critical fundamental phenomena underlying microwave processing technology (1). In far too many cases, these two phenomena occur concurrently, with ionic conduction providing a substantial opposition to ionic flow. This, in essence, creates an impedance and heat generation in the microwave cavity (2). Moreover, the dipole rotation automatically readjusts the molecular magnetic dipole to the instantaneous electric field, prompting an ionic displacement as the dipole spins about its axis. The electric field generated inside the microwave cavity induces an ionic current to flow through the medium, which is generally the cause of its quick processing time and high-quality biopharmaceutical production.