Ultrasonic Liquid Treatment And Its Application

Ultrasonic liquid treatment processes include ultrasonic emulsification, sterilization, dispersion and homogenization, etc. These ultrasonic processes are widely used in the production and preparation of cosmetics and personal care products, pharmaceuticals, nanomaterials, and fuel industries.

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When mixing immiscible liquids into emulsions, droplet size and distribution are key factors in emulsion stability. Ultrasonic emulsification equipment can produce very fine droplets and narrow sizes. In most cases, sonication equipment can produce sub-micron droplets when preparing emulsions batchwise or in-line. Unlike high pressure homogenizers, the high shear forces generated by ultrasonic emulsification equipment can emulsify even higher viscosity liquids such as heavy fuel oil (HFO). Some formulations may require the addition of emulsifiers or stabilizers. In this case, phacoemulsification equipment also helps to mix the emulsifier evenly.

For many industries, controlling the growth of bacteria and algae in water is a process closely related to production. Ultrasonic water treatment equipment is known for its effect on cell structure causing cell lysis and cell death, as well as its cleaning power due to mechanical shock. Furthermore, with a very simple but effective sonication step, biofilm, residues can be successfully removed from tanks, barrels, containers and even filters. The high frequency vibration and cavitation shear force generated by the ultrasonic equipment eliminates contamination of water and liquids. The remaining residue is easily rinsed away without the need for any contaminating cleaners.

Particles and even dispersions can be easily obtained by ultrasound. Ultrasonic equipment can be used to produce micro- and nano-scale fine-scale dispersion and depolymerization. Ultrasonic dispersion equipment can break up powder agglomerates in liquids that conventional agitators and high shear mixers cannot break up. High cavitation shear forces disperse and homogenize the agglomerated particles, resulting in higher surface area.

Cell disintegration or lysis is a common process in daily sample preparation in biotechnology laboratories. The goal of lysis is to destroy part of the cell wall or the entire cell to release biomolecules. So-called lysates may include, for example, plasmids, receptor assays, proteins, DNA, RNA, and the like. Subsequent steps after lysis are isolation, organelle isolation or/and protein extraction and preservation. Ultrasonic equipment is a common tool for successful cell lysis and extraction.

Microbial inactivation is a critical process in food processing. Due to the growing demand for fresh, mildly processed foods, the industry is responding to customer needs by replacing insulation materials with milder processing methods. Since microorganisms are the main cause of food spoilage, preservation techniques must be applied to them. Ultrasonic sterilization equipment is a non-thermal technology that inactivates microorganisms in a product to better preserve the organoleptic properties, nutrition and functionality of the product. The advantage of sonication is that the intensity of sonication can be completely controlled, so that the inactivation of microorganisms can be carried out.

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For the production of cosmetics, the mixing of ingredients is an essential step. High-power ultrasound enables fine-grained homogenization, dispersion and emulsification, e.g. for the preparation of creams and lotions, nail polishes and cosmetics. The capabilities of ultrasound for extraction and preservation are also well known. Since many cosmetic ingredients such as lipids, proteins, aromatic compounds or colorants from cells are obtained by extraction, ultrasound equipment is a potential tool for some new formulations .

Common processing steps, such as mixing and homogenization, extraction, stabilization and preservation, traditional methods are gradually replaced by innovative processing techniques such as ultrasonic treatment. Ultrasound is a non-thermal food processing method. The benefit of sonication is its gentle, fast and clean processing, which reduces product loss and improves food quality by preserving freshness and vitamins.

Pharmaceutical Industry

The applications of ultrasound equipment in the pharmaceutical industry are diverse, such as synthesis of chemical compounds, extraction of active compounds (e.g. phenols, flavonoids from plants), emulsification (emulsion of lotions, creams and ointments), liposomes Preparation (encapsulation) or inactivated vaccines of viruses and viral pathogens. In pharmaceutical production, the use of ultrasonic equipment can increase production capacity by increasing throughput. Industrial ultrasound equipment can be used for large-scale pharmaceutical preparation in the form of batch or continuous processes.

Nanomaterials

The physical properties (such as optics and magnetism, specific heat, melting point, and surface reactivity) of nanomaterials (such as nanotubes, graphene, nanodiamonds, ceramics, metal oxides, etc.) have attracted much attention as emerging materials. But the smaller the particles of nanomaterials, the more difficult it is to handle. High-power ultrasound is often the only way to effectively affect nanoparticles. The impact of power ultrasound includes a wide variety of applications in materials chemistry and development, catalysis, electronics, energy, and biology and medicine. A high-power ultrasonic generator is an effective way to obtain the desired nanoparticles.