Systems and methods are for creating liquid toroidal mixing patterns within microliter volumes of liquids are contemplated. An electrode geometry comprising peripheral electrodes defining an annular configuration and interior electrodes are contemplated, to which an alternating current may be applied. Via control of the frequency, waveform, amplitude and bias of the current, liquids and the components of those liquids may be mixed in a toroidal motion. This same electrode geometry may also be used to accomplish the deposition of targeted materials onto the surface of the peripheral or interior electrode by further manipulating the frequency, amplitude, and bias of the waveform of the applied current. Methods of applying such techniques are also contemplated in the context of blood typing assays, latex agglutination assays, micro array assays, transfection, transduction, and tissue engineering methods, and it may be seen that such techniques may result in substantial benefits.

A system for mixing particles that includes a liquid comprising inert particles and defining a liquid and air interface; magnetic microparticles suspended at the liquid and air interface; and a magnetic source configured to apply a uniaxial alternating magnetic field parallel to the liquid and air interface, wherein the uniaxial alternating magnetic field promotes a turbulent motion of the magnetic microparticles, which in turn promotes a diffusive motion of the inert particles.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for treating mixed waste, for example, an apparatus for degrading bioplastic material in the mixed waste. The apparatus includes an electromagnetic wave emitter adapted to emit an electromagnetic wave on to the mixed waste; a movement inducing device adapted to move the mixed waste when the electromagnetic wave is being emitted onto the mixed waste such that the mixed waste is moved to increase the exposure of the mixed waste to the electromagnetic wave; and at least one of a heat emitter adapted to emit heat and a moisture emitter adapted to emit moisture onto the mixed waste. The present invention further relates to a method of treating mixed waste.

Designs of a digital microfluidic devices are described comprising droplet control electrodes and heating electrodes that have effects in the regions for droplet manipulations. Specifically, the digital microfluidic device comprises a first substrate having liquid control electrodes for droplet control and a second substrate having heating electrodes for temperature control. Shielding electrodes are disposed on the second substrate to ensure that the heating electrodes can control the digital microfluidic device to a desired temperature profile without interfering the droplet operations such as transport, merging/mixing, splitting, particle distribution, etc.

A stirring device, in particular reactor stirring device, has at least one holder which is configured for holding at least one brittle unit within a container relative to at least one container wall of the container, and which has at least one holding unit for this purpose.

At least one holding position of the holder relative to the container wall can be adapted by means of the holding unit.

A nano-bubble generator includes: (i) a housing defining: an inlet for receiving a liquid with entrained macro-bubbles: a first chamber operatively downstream of the inlet; a second chamber operatively downstream of the first chamber; and an outlet operatively downstream of the second chamber; (ii) at least one blade disposed within the first chamber for, in use, cutting macro-bubbles entrained in the liquid to convert such macro-bubbles into micro-bubbles; (iii) at least one first magnet within the second chamber; and (iv) at least one second magnet associated with the second chamber, wherein: (a) the at least one first magnet and the at least one second magnet are arranged such that the polarity of the at least one first magnet is opposed to the polarity of the at least one second magnet; and (b) the at least one first magnet is movable relative to the at least one second magnet.

The present invention provides a desulfurization agent mixing system for fuel oil used in harbors, the system including: a fuel oil tank for storing fuel oil; a desulfurization agent tank for storing a desulfurization agent; a line mixer receiving and mixing the fuel oil and the desulfurization agent from the fuel oil tank and the desulfurization agent tank; a droplet atomization unit for forming droplets of a mixture of the fuel oil and the desulfurization agent, the mixture being generated by the line mixer; a magnetization unit for magnetizing the mixture in which the droplets are contained; a vortex reaction unit for turning the mixture of the fuel oil and the desulfurization agent, which is magnetized by the magnetization unit; a gas separation unit configured to separate gas contained in the fuel oil and the desulfurization agent mixture in the vortex reaction unit; a collision emulsion unit configured to cause the mixture of the fuel oil and the desulfurization agent from which the gas is separated by the gas separation unit to collide against a collision target; and an emulsion tank for storing the mixture of the fuel oil and the desulfurization agent, which is collided by the collision emulsion unit.

Carbonation apparatus is provided for carbonating a mixed input flow of pressurized and refrigerated carbon dioxide and water. A first cartridge is disposed within the carbonation chamber, defining a porous micromesh net in fluid communication with the input flow and a central cavity in fluid communication with the carbonation chamber output port. The micromesh net is configured to break up chains of water molecules passing through the net, to enhance bonding between the water and carbon dioxide molecules within the cartridge. The net also responds to the flow of water and carbon dioxide molecules impacting and passing through the net by generating a passive polarizing field that has a polarizing influence on the water molecules to further enhance. Beads may be provided within the cartridge for capturing and stabilizing carbon dioxide molecules to yet further enhance bonding between the water and the carbon dioxide molecules.

The present invention provides a stirrer set, comprising: a fitting tube having an opening portion and a hollow rotating shaft fitted into the opening portion, the hollow rotating shaft having an external wall which is annularly recessed to form at least one annular groove. The present invention also provides a stirring device, wherein a drive element comprising a power transmission element, such as a belt, may be rotatably driven to cause, via the power transmission element, the stirrer set to rotate for performing a stirring function. As such, the stirring device provides higher design flexibility when dealing with high-flux samples, and the element replacement rates can be significantly reduced. Thus, the costs related to manufacturing, repair, maintenance and other processes can be reduced in an effective manner.

A beverage mixing system/method allowing faster mixing/blending of frozen beverages is disclosed. The system/method in various embodiments utilizes inductive coupling to introduce heat into the frozen beverage during the mixing/blending process via a rotating driveshaft and attached mechanical agitator to speed the mixing/blending process. Exemplary embodiments may be configured to magnetically induce heat into the driveshaft and/or mechanical agitator mixing blade to affect this mixing/blending performance improvement. This heating effect may be augmented via the use of high power LED arrays aimed into the frozen slurry to provide additional heat input. The system/method may be applied with particular advantage to the mixing of ice cream type beverages and other viscous beverage products.