Microwave Assisted Separation of Eggshell and Membrane

Eggshell and membranes which are largely disposed of as waste are a reserve of many bioactive compounds with high economic and monetary value which can be extracted by the efficient separation of eggshell and membrane. Hence, this work concentrates on finding a suitable method for separating the eggshell from membrane. First, the effect of microwave treatment on separation of eggshell and membrane was investigated. The response of a material to electromagnetic radiation depends upon its dielectric properties; therefore, the study of the dielectric properties of eggshell and membrane was carried out in the range of 200 MHz to 20 GHz and in the temperature range of 25 0C to 100 0C. In the second part of the study, the effectiveness of microwave treatment on separation of eggshell and membrane was analyzed in terms of reduction in total energy required to separate the eggshell and membrane and was termed as bond energy. For all microwave treatments, three factors with three levels each were considered. A Model for calculating the bond energy between the eggshell and membrane for all microwave treatments was established.