Analysis and design of a disinfection device for agricultural products

Pesticides are posing great risks on human health, alternative treatments for pest control and postharvest diseases are of crucial importance. One very promising technique is the microwave frequency heat treatment. In order to study the effect of electric field radiation, in the microwave range, specifically at 1.8 GHz frequency, the Finite Difference Time Domain method (FDTD) method was used to calculate the electric field intensity. Our simulation framework consisted of placing a horn antenna near an apple fruit infected with codling moth pest. The rise in temperature along and inside the apple surface was calculated. After 3 minutes of radiation, the temperature rise on the surface of the apple reached 52°C which is a sufficient value to ensure 100% mortality of bacteria, while the temperature rise inside the apple will not exceed 10°C which does not affect the quality and taste of the fruit.