Abstract: Microwave heating is used to desorb successive batches of contaminated adsorbent. The apparatus includes first and second stations and an adsorbent carrier tray displaceable between the two stations. Adsorbent is loaded and unloaded from the tray in the first station and heated with microwave energy in the second station. The tray is loaded by passage under a feed hopper, thereby providing an even bed of adsorbent in the tray. Unloading is performed by rotating the tray to an inverted position so that the adsorbent falls into a bin below. The second station includes an oven chamber which is swept with a purge gas to remove gaseous sorbates desorbed from the adsorbent. The tray can include a gas-permeable adsorbent support structure to facilitate passing purge gas and gasification reactants through the adsorbent bed.