Mass balance

From WikiMD's Food, Medicine & Wellness Encyclopedia

Mass balance (also known as material balance) is a fundamental concept in chemical engineering, physics, and environmental science. It is based on the principle of Conservation of mass, which states that mass cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or transformed.

Overview[edit | edit source]

In a chemical reaction, the mass of the reactants (the substances that are combined) must equal the mass of the products (the substances that are produced). This is because, according to the principle of conservation of mass, mass cannot be created or destroyed. Therefore, the total mass before a reaction must be the same as the total mass after the reaction.

Applications[edit | edit source]

Mass balance is used in many fields, including:

  • Chemical engineering: In chemical engineering, mass balance is used to design and analyze chemical processes. It is also used to calculate the yield of a reaction, which is the amount of product produced.
  • Environmental science: In environmental science, mass balance is used to track the flow of pollutants through the environment. It is also used to estimate the impact of human activities on the environment.
  • Physics: In physics, mass balance is used to analyze the behavior of physical systems. It is also used to calculate the mass of objects and the forces acting on them.

See also[edit | edit source]

Mass balance Resources
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Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD