Most Efficient Explosion-proof Ultrasonic Extraction Machine with Alcohol Solvent

Most Efficient Explosion-proof Ultrasonic Extraction Machine with Alcohol Solvent

.

The reason why ultrasonic extraction equipment needs to be explosion-proof is closely related to the working environment, operating principle and potential safety risks of the equipment. The following is an analysis of the specific reasons:

1. There may be flammable and explosive substances in the working environment
Volatility of the extraction medium: In the extraction process, organic solvents such as ethanol, methanol,  are often used as extraction media. These solvents are highly volatile. When they evaporate to a certain concentration in a closed or semi-closed space, they are easily mixed with air to form a flammable and explosive gas mixture.
Special industry scenario requirements: Some application scenarios themselves belong to flammable and explosive environments, such as mines, petrochemical workshops, flour mills, etc. In these places, the air may be filled with combustible dust (such as flour, coal powder) or combustible gases (such as methane, propane), and any safety hazards generated during the operation of ordinary equipment may cause explosion accidents.

Generally, the plant raw materials are pre-treated by crushing to increase the contact area with the solvent. Then the pre-treated plant raw materials are mixed with the selected solvent in a certain proportion and placed in an ultrasonic extraction device. Under the action of ultrasound, the active ingredients in the plant cells gradually dissolve into the solvent. After the extraction is completed, the extract is separated from the residue by filtration, centrifugation, etc. to obtain a crude extract containing active ingredients, which can be further purified and refined as needed.

The core purpose of explosion-proof design: preventing the formation of three elements of explosion
The occurrence of explosion requires three conditions to be met at the same time: combustible materials, combustion aids (such as air), and ignition sources. Explosion-proof design cuts off the explosion chain in the following ways:
Control the ignition source:
Explosion-proof electric control boxes, motors and other electrical components adopt explosion-proof structures (such as flameproof type, increased safety type), and components that may generate electric sparks or high temperatures are enclosed in special shells to prevent sparks from contacting external combustible materials.
The grounding design of the equipment can guide static electricity away and avoid the accumulation of static electricity to produce discharge phenomena.
Optimize the sealing of the equipment: The extraction tank, pipeline and other components are made of corrosion-resistant and excellent sealing materials (such as stainless steel) to prevent solvent volatilization and leakage, reduce the concentration of combustible gas or dust in the environment, and keep it away from the explosion limit range.
Temperature and energy control: The extraction temperature is accurately adjusted through the temperature control system to avoid overheating; the reasonable design of ultrasonic power and frequency can also reduce the heat abnormality caused by excessive energy concentration.

Step-by-Step Process

Prepare Herbal Material

Dry and grind the herb into a fine powder.

Mix with Aqueous Lecithin Solution

Dissolve lecithin in water (or water-ethanol mix) under mild stirring.

Ultrasonic Homogenization

Submerge the ultrasonic probe into the mixture.

Process for 5–30 min (pulsed mode prevents overheating).

Filtration & Concentration

Filter (e.g., centrifugation or mesh filter) to remove plant debris.

Optional: Concentrate via evaporation or lyophilization.

Applications

Nanoemulsions for enhanced bioavailability.

Phytochemical extraction (e.g., curcumin, ginsenosides, cannabinoids).

Cosmetic & nutraceutical formulations (lecithin improves skin penetration).

Raw material preparation: Select biological raw materials rich in target vitamins, such as fresh fruits, vegetables, grains or microorganisms, and perform pretreatment, including washing, chopping, drying, crushing and other operations, to increase the contact area between the raw materials and the solvent and improve the extraction efficiency.

Extraction solvent selection: Select a suitable solvent according to the properties of the target vitamin. For example, for water-soluble vitamins, polar solvents such as water and ethanol-water solution are more commonly used; for fat-soluble vitamins, non-polar solvents such as n-hexane and petroleum are often used.

Ultrasonic extraction: Mix the pretreated raw materials and solvents in a certain proportion and put them into the ultrasonic extraction equipment. Set appropriate ultrasonic parameters, such as frequency, power, extraction time and temperature, and start the equipment for extraction.
Extraction liquid separation and purification: After the extraction is completed, the extract is separated from the residue by filtration, centrifugation and other methods to obtain a crude extract containing vitamins. In order to obtain a higher purity vitamin product, the crude extract needs to be further purified, such as by distillation, extraction, chromatography and other methods.
Cell disruption: When ultrasonic waves propagate in a liquid medium, cavitation effects will occur. In the negative pressure phase of the ultrasonic wave, tiny cavitation bubbles will form in the liquid, and in the positive pressure phase, the cavitation bubbles will close quickly, generating instantaneous high pressure and local high temperature up to thousands of atmospheres. This strong impact force can destroy the cell walls and cell membranes of biological cells, and release substances such as vitamins in the cells into the surrounding solvent.
Accelerate mass transfer: The mechanical vibration of ultrasonic waves can accelerate the material transfer process between the solvent and the biological raw materials. It allows the solvent molecules to penetrate into the raw materials more quickly, and also promotes the vitamins released from the cells to diffuse into the solvent faster, thereby improving the extraction efficiency.
Reducing surface tension: Ultrasonic waves can reduce the surface tension of the solvent, making it easier for the solvent to wet the biological raw materials, further promoting the contact and interaction between the solvent and the raw materials, and facilitating the dissolution and extraction of vitamins.
Parameter:

Application
Pharmaceutical industry: In the production of vitamin drugs, ultrasonic extraction can be used to extract vitamins from natural raw materials as active ingredients of drugs, such as extracting B vitamins from yeast and extracting vitamin E from plant oils and fats.
Health care products industry: Used to produce vitamin health products, extract vitamins from natural plants or animal tissues, and make various vitamin tablets, capsules, oral liquids and other products to meet people's demand for vitamin supplements.
Food additives: Extracted vitamins can be used as food additives to fortify foods, such as adding vitamins to beverages, dairy products, cereal products, etc. to improve the nutritional value of food.