How to Build Your Own Centrifuge

A homemade centrifuge can be made with one side of a manual egg beater. Centrifuges are used to separate blood to make diagnoses. After propelling the homemade centrifuge for 10 minutes, the plasma will rise to the top of polyethylene (PE) tubing and the cells will sink to the bottom. Manual centrifuges are a low-budget alternative to high-cost electrical centrifuges, and were anticipated in 2011 to improve diagnoses in Third World countries, according to research from Harvard University.

Things You'll Need

• Manual egg beater
• Adhesive tape
• PE tubing
• Rubber bulb
• Pliers

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Instructions

• 1

  Remove one paddle of a two-paddle hand-held egg beater with pliers. This is necessary so the beaters don't tangle the PE tubing.

• 2

  Cut PE tubing to the length of the liquid you want to separate. Fill the tube with the liquid using a rubber bulb attached to one end to create a vacuum. Seal both ends of the tubing by placing each end over a candle flame for 1 second, then closing the melted ends using pliers.

• 3

  Attach the liquid-filled tubing, with both ends closed, perpendicular to the remaining paddle, using a strip of adhesive tape.

• 4

  Spin the handle of the egg beater at a comfortably fast pace for 10 minutes. Hold the egg beater with a loose grip to help reduce fatigue.