With the new year upon us, numerous beer fans will be spreading out the cheer at one of our great regional brew-pubs. As they raise a tasty toast to new beginnings, not many revelers are most likely to pause to consider the effort that entered into developing their brew.The ancient craft of developing has taken advantage of modern advances over the years, and now ultrasound technology is stepping up to help makers streamline explanation of the hoppy drink. Ultrasound is better at selecting out specific sediments from the mix than filters or centrifuges, allowing brewers to get rid of the larger particles while leaving behind those that increase a beer’s standard character.The principle of membrane-free filtering came from a group of biofuels researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory, who required a method to get rid of water from slushy algae cultures. The microalgae, which are bred to be filled with energy-dense hydrocarbons much like the liquid fuels used to power cars and aircrafts, should be separated from their large watery surroundings. The combination of ultrasonic standing waves– a wave that remains in place– and gravity can drop the algae particles to the bottom of a tank, where they end up being much more focused and beneficial to extract.Our ultrasound technique, called UltraSep, has lots of advantages over traditional filtration. It is safer than utilizing high-speed centrifuges, definitely quieter and it produces much less waste than the filtering process.UltraSep presents silent ultrasonic waves that bounce back and forth throughout a tank, which forms regularly spaced pressure nodes at repaired places, thus the term “standing wave. “Particles are trapped in the standing wave and gather at the nodes till they clump up and gravity pulls them to the bottom of the tank.Not all the particles need to go, as anyone who appreciates a good hazy IPA or a Hefeweizen would know. The smidgeon of proteins, polyphenols and polysaccharides suspended in the beer contribute to its unique character and flavor and should remain.For this task to emerge from the Los Alamos benchtop laboratories into the developing world, it took a Department of Energy program called Energy I-Corps, designed to match lab researchers with market contacts, developing paths for newborn technology to reach the market.
A contact at the Los Alamos Feynman Center of Development, Colleen Pastuovic, suggested the match to New Mexico’s craft developing world, where innovation is valued and techniques to improve production are welcomed.Funded by the New Mexico Small company Assistance program, a test session with five regional breweries and 12 varieties of their beers revealed that UltraSep removed large particles while leaving smaller particles behind.A new round of testing is about to get underway, intending to understand more precisely the effect of UltraSep on the beer composition. By getting rid of particles that many threaten the quality and stability of packaged beer, UltraSep wants to supply makers with a brand-new tool that simplifies explanation while providing the taste experience brewers work vigilantly to achieve.The next challenge
will be scaling it up, from the benchtop model to better fulfill the needs of makers and their thirsty customers.One may not anticipate brewing market advances to come from the laboratory on the hill, but then again, just as NASA brought us Tang, technology spin-offs can use us a host of tasty surprises. James Coons is a chemical engineer at Los Alamos National Lab.