Microwave Radiation Decontamination of Mildew Infected Cotton

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.