Evaluation of the Microwave Absorption Properties of Solid Dehydrated and Powdered Agricultural Waste at X-Band Frequencies

In this article, a comparison of the absorption properties of 7 common agricultural waste materials from the state of Colima in Mexico is performed. The study carried out at X-band frequencies finds that the highest absorption levels were mainly from 8 to 10.5 GHz. The experiment, based on a WR-90 waveguide with samples inserted in holders in the middle of it, shows that papaya peel and lemon peel had the highest absorption levels in the aforementioned frequency range. This study is relevant because of the vast amount of agricultural waste generated in such state of Mexico, that can be used as absorbers in the microwave regime, and not managed as garbage. In this work, the feasibility of using these eco-friendly and nontoxic materials as microwave absorbers instead of typical commercial synthetic materials is evaluated.