Process classification

The energy required for the emulsification operation can be supplied to the system in a variety of ways: mechanical (the most commonly encountered process), sonic, electrical, etc., resulting in a wide range of processes. A distinction is generally made between high-energy processes, such as stirred systems, rotor-stator and colloidal mill systems, high-pressure homogenizers or ultrasound, and low-energy processes, such as membrane processes and phase inversion.

Another way of classifying the most common emulsification processes according to the mechanism they involve is to distinguish between systems that generate shear and those that rely on cavitation.

The first group includes, among others, emulsification-specific moving parts (turbines, propellers, etc.), rotor-stator devices and colloidal mills. High shear zones are developed either...