Chemical reaction kinetics of melt polycondensation of lactic acid under microwave irradiation

The chemical reaction kinetics of melt polycondensation of lactic acid under microwave irradiation was studied. The effects of microwave power, catalyst and assisted -heating medium (SiC) were investigated. The chemical kinetic parameters under microwave irradiation were compared with those under conventional heating. It was found that, with the coeffects of thermal effects and nonthermal effects of microwaves, the reaction rate constant under microwave irradiation was enhanced obviously and increased with the microwave power increasing; microwave irradiation had no changes on the original reaction order under conventional heating; the orders of self-catalytic polycondensation and acid-catalytic polycondensation were 3 and 2 respectively; the addition of SiC as assisted-heating medium during the reaction had no effects on reaction order, but made the reaction rate constant increase about 20%.