To better grasp what it is all about, let’s imagine a certain situation. For instance, you’re all alone at home, you were passionately watching your favourite TV series of all time when you start to crave for something sweet. What you have in mind is to eat home-made churros. You pause from watching and proceed to the kitchen. Luckily, you have every ingredient that you need for making a churro.
But that doesn’t stop there. You aim to get the perfect texture of it. So, you combined all the ingredients together, and you thought that preferably, the ingredients have to be homogenized to make it thick and smooth in surface. So you use a mixer until you get what you want. Cut!
And there, you’ve heard the term! Now that you already have context about it, let us define what it actually means.
What is homogenization?
Homogenization is a process of breaking down bigger molecules of a substance into much smaller particles so that even distribution will take place. It is the act of emulsifying globules from macron to micron sizes in order to create a constant and balanced dispersion. The term is mostly related to milk, but it can also be used in different industries.
What is a homogenizer mixer?
What then, is a homogenizer mixer?
A homogenizer mixer is a machine used for the emulsion operation. It serves as an instrument or equipment that will help you refine something into its littlest possible scale.
Through the years, various industries have been using homogenizer mixers as a significant machine in their production process, experiments, and other procedures. These include science and technology, food processing, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and all others that require massive mixing of many components in order to create bulks of products. Ginhong is one of the competitive manufacturers of homogenizers.
The Process of Homogenization
So here’s how the process happens:
The elements are placed inside the machine – the homogenizer mixer – all solids and liquids. Next, the high shear is dipped low, ready to spin and crush them all. The high shear quickly rotates until it disperses one phase all throughout the fluid or much easier to mix phase. The blades spin around rapidly so it creates pressure that propels both the solid and liquid parts of the mixture into the so-called ‘work head’.
Then, this outward-developing force coined as centrifugal in Physics will push the elements through the blades, where they are tenuously milled and evenly emulsified with the main constituent, producing a new substance.
Two Categories of Mechanical Homogenizers
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Rotor-stator Homogenizers
Through the rotor, the rotating metal shaft present inside a metal casing called the stator, a suction is created due to the speed of the rotor’s rotation. This effect drives the content into the room between the rotor and the stator. Once the bulky components settle there, they’ll be affected by the high-shear forces caused by the rotating metal – making it dispersed through the stator holes to liquid portion.
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Blade-type Homogenizers
For the second category, rotating cutter blades are employed. Within the homogenizer, these blades do all the work of cutting, grinding and milling. These are commonly referred to as blenders.
The Main Types of Homogenizer Technology
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Rotor-Stator Homogenization
You’ve been given an overview of how a rotor-stator type works as explained above. But what is it best used for? Liquids and suspensions. In whatever process that involves these two, the rotor-stator homogenization is suitable.
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Ultrasonic Homogenization
Also known as sonicators, this type uses a probe. As the probe vibrates very quickly, the ultrasonic energy from it is transferred directly to the surrounding portion. This equipment is effective in particle size reduction.
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Bead Mill Homogenization
Beads are used in the process of the emulsion through this type. The sample is homogenized via movement and collisions of beads towards one another after it is placed inside the tube and the machine starts to rage. High throughput applications can be accommodated by this machine because of its ability to handle simultaneous milling or multiple samples.
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High-Pressure Homogenization
Simply put – when a liquid sample is set out to be the receptor of a strong force, so the dispersion could take place, high-pressure homogenization just happened. It pertains more to the process itself rather than the machine. It is used for massive volumes of liquids.
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Paddle Blender Homogenization
Using a paddle blender, a solid sample is squashed on the opposite hard surface as the contents get extracted. For the most part, paddle blenders are used for extraction and merging of microorganisms into the liquid mixture.
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Mortar and Pestle Homogenization
This process involves grinding the elements through the use of a pestle on a container (mortar). The operation can be done manually or with the low-power motorized equipment wherein the object which acts as a mortar is spun at a shear force. Mortar and pestle homogenization are widely used in life science experiments. It is easy to use and inexpensive.
Conclusion
Homogenizer mixers are very much essential and useful for manufacturing & chemical processes, research application, experimentations, the medical field, cosmetics, food & beverage, and a lot more industries. The technological innovations will even improve the machinery and equipment perfect for emulsifying a variety of components. Educate yourself and learn how you can use it for your own benefit!
