A homogenizer is a piece of laboratory or industrial equipment used for the homogenization of various types of material, such as tissue, plant, food, soil, and many others. Many different models have been developed using various physical technologies for disruption
This type is also called colloid mill or Willems homogenizer. Works best in plant and animal tissue, it conventionally outdoes the cutting blade-type mixers. The rotor-stator homogenizer is generally used to derange microorganisms with the help of glass beads. According to Pro Scientific, cell disruption with this homogenizer demand hydraulic and mechanical shear and the process of so-called cavitation.
Rotor-stator homogenization uses a rotating metal shaft (the rotor) inside a stationary metal casing (the stator). The rotation of the rotor creates a suction effect which draws the sample into the space between the rotor and stator, in which it is subject to very high shear forces due to the an extreme change in velocity in the small space between the rotor and stator. (The laws of fluid mechanics state that the velocity in the fluid immediately adjacent to the rotor is the same as the velocity of the rotor, while the velocity of the fluid immediately adjacent to the stationary stator is zero.) Centrifugal forces then push the material out through slots in the stator, and the rapid motion of the fluid caused by the rotor-stator ensures that the process is repeated as the liquid and sample repeatedly cycle through it.
Ultrasonic homogenizers are usually coined as sonicators. This type is most appropriate and effective for disintegrating cells and subcellular structures in a fluid mixture. The equipment works by releasing extreme sonic pressure waves in suspension. Through ultrasonic waves and cavitation, it disrupts cells and tissues but does not do a great job in homogenizing intact tissues.
High-pressure homogenizers consist of a tank to which high pressure is applied in order to force the liquid sample contained therein through a valve or membrane with very narrow slits. This act causes high shear, a large pressure drop, and cavitation, all of which act to homogenize the sample.
The major principle of high-pressure homogenization (HPH) relies on abrupt pressure gradient, high turbulence, cavitation as well as strong shearing forces, which are aroused under strong depressurization of highly compressed sludge suspensions (up to 900 bar)
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