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Abstract

The conditions (moisture, temperature, and time) of a 1000 W, 2.45 GHz household microwave oven required to decontaminate cotton textiles inoculated with mildew (Aspergillus niger) are assessed. For samples initially saturated with water, 24 minutes of microwave irradiation kills mildew on 2″ × 2″ and 4″ × 4″ cotton samples with no significant damage to the fibers, but fails to decontaminate 6″ × 6″ samples. When extra water is added at intervals during the irradiation, it still takes 21 and 24 minutes to decontaminate the 2″ × 2″ and 4″ × 4″ cotton samples, respectively. Although these results indicate that microwave irradiation has potential as a tool for textile decontamination, limitations of conventional household microwave ovens (e.g., low efficiency, nonuniform heating, and no continuous source of moisture) need to be assessed and at least partially rectified to render microwave treatment a viable practical tool for textile decontamination.

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Microwave Radiation Decontamination of Mildew Infected Cotton

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