vermalen

Vermalen is the Dutch term for the mechanical reduction of solid materials into smaller particles. In English, this is commonly described as milling or grinding. Vermalen serves to increase surface area, improve reactivity, facilitate handling, and prepare material for downstream processes such as extraction, mixing, or chemical reaction.

Process and equipment: Vermalen can be performed dry or wet. Dry vermalen uses mills such as ball mills, roller mills, hammer mills, pin mills, and jet mills to impart shear, impact, or compression forces. Wet vermalen suspends material in a liquid (often water or a process fluid) to form a slurry and reduce dust; methods include bead milling, colloid milling, and jet milling. The resulting particle size distribution depends on the material, equipment, and energy input.

Applications: Widely used in food processing (coffee, spices, cocoa, grains), pharmaceuticals (powders for active pharmaceutical ingredients and excipients), chemicals and pigments, cosmetics, and mining for ore liberation. In research, milling helps prepare samples and synthesize nanomaterials.

Considerations: Achieving the desired particle size requires balancing energy consumption, heat generation, wear, and contamination. Material properties (hardness, moisture), milling media, and equipment choice influence outcomes. Dry milling risks airborne dust and, for combustible powders, explosion hazards; appropriate controls are necessary.

See also: milling, grinding, pulverization.