Microwave drying

Gary Saretzky <saretzky<-a t->rci< . >rutgers< . >edu> writes

>I find the post from Niccolo Caldararo a bit confusing.  Are
>microwaves to be used for drying, mold treatment, or both?  I do not
>have any experience with regard to using them for mold, but did
>spend a day running tests in a microwave on wet, expendable samples
>of paperback books and answer sheets when I was archivist for
>Educational Testing Service.  (ETS was interested in a quick way to
>dry college  admissions test materials like the SAT for scoring
>should a disaster occur.)  My experience was not very positive.

Dear Gary:

I refer you to the TAPPI article I cited in the original post.  The
process described has guidelines for use, but as in all things,
methods and materials must be studied and fully understood and
followed in detail to arrive at the same results.  I urge you to
read the articles in which the authors had detailed their findings.
There is no simple answer here.  They report (in the two articles I
cited) the use of microwaves to eliminate pests, mold and other
problems,

Niccolo Caldararo

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 11:39
                Distributed: Thursday, October 23, 1997
                       Message Id: cdl-11-39-003
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