LAUSR

Abstract A rapid and exact method for the determination of the colloidal properties of tannin solutions following microwave irradiation was developed and validated using a modified zetasizer. The accuracy and feasibility online detection compared with the conventional method were characterized by the particle size and zeta potential of the tannin solutions treated with microwave irradiation using the optimized conditions, including the tannin concentration, microwave radiation time, and temperature. The results showed that the values determined by the online method presented a linear relationship at a tannin concentration of 4 g/L, microwave times of 30–90 min, and temperatures from 25 to 40 °C. These values were essentially unchanged using conventional detection. In addition, the online method is feasible for both hydrolyzable and condensed tannins. Ten parallel measurements had relatively small standard deviations, showing that the precision was within acceptable limits. Therefore, the online method is appropriate for the characterization of tannin colloidal properties treated with microwave radiation which may have practical applications.