The Road Paved by the Rush of Counter-Collision - From Atomization to Lake Purification (2000s)

The Road Paved by the Rush of Counter-Collision - From Atomization to Lake Purification (2000s)
The story of the turn of counter-collision technology into the environmental field mirrors the changes in industrial structure and water environmental issues during the 1990s and 2000s. Originally, this technology was developed for the particulation and homogenization required in the manufacturing processes of industrial products, cosmetics, and food products. The simple yet powerful method of colliding materials from two directions under the same pressure to achieve extremely uniform particle fineness was highly regarded for its ability to process using only physical energy without the use of a milling medium, and had become a fundamental technology supporting quality improvement in the Japanese manufacturing industry. Karasawa Fine's Ultimizer J was a typical example of industrial application of this technology, which was introduced in a wide range of fields from electronic materials to food products.
In the 2000s, however, environmental pollution brought about by China's rapid urbanization and industrialization became apparent, and the eutrophication of lakes and marshes in particular continued to worsen. During the high temperature season, blue-green algae multiplied explosively in famous lakes such as 滇池, Taihu Lake, and Chaohu Lake, turning the water a muddy green color and threatening the lives of the citizens. In some cases, tap water became unusable, and lake purification became an urgent issue for local communities. Large-scale sewage treatment plants and watershed management systems were put in place, but it took time for these wide-area measures to show results, and there was a need for a means to immediately control the sudden increase in blue-green algae on the lake surface itself.
To fill this void, industrial counter-impact technology is making its way into the environmental field. Focusing on the fact that blue-green algae cells have gas vesicles to maintain buoyancy, the technique of destroying cell membranes and gas vesicles by collision attracted attention as an environmentally friendly method of settling algae without the use of chemicals. The technological basis was already mature, and the equipment could be adapted to the size of the site. Thus, counter-impact technology moved away from its original application of atomization and took on a new role in responding to the social issue of water purification.
In the 2000s, China was at a turning point where environmental problems were causing social unrest in the shadow of rapid growth, and demand for non-agent-based, quick-response technology rapidly increased. The policy environment was also conducive to the introduction of foreign technologies, and the diversion of oncoming collision technology coincided with this trend. The transformation of a basic manufacturing technology to meet the on-site challenge of controlling blue-green algae that were quietly proliferating in distant lakes and marshes was an example of technology creating new value in response to the demands of the times.