kirkastumine

Kirkastumine is an Estonian term that denotes the process or result of becoming clear or bright. In technical contexts it refers to the removal of suspended matter, pigments or color from a liquid to increase transparency and lightness. The term can also describe the outcome of such a process, i.e., a clarified liquid.

Origin and linguistic notes: the word is formed from the adjective kirkas (bright, clear) with the noun-forming suffix -mine, and the verb kirkastama (to clarify, to brighten). It is used both in technical and metaphorical language.

Applications: In the food and beverage industry, kirkastamine refers to the clarification of liquids such as wine, juice or beer, typically through settling, centrifugation, fining agents, and filtration. In water and wastewater treatment, it describes the clarification stage that removes solids before disinfection. In analytical chemistry and other sciences, a sample may undergo kirkastamine to obtain a transparent solution suitable for measurement. In everyday language, the term can be used metaphorically to describe making a concept or explanation clearer or easier to understand (kirkastumine mõistmises).

See also: kirkastus (the related concept of clarification or becoming clear), filtration (filtration as a common physical method of achieving kirkastamine), sedimentation (a method used to achieve clarification).