Pulsed Ultrasound Water Treatment

Waste water treatment is a major issue for many municipalities and farms as stricter guidelines continue to be handed down by the government. A new technology has been created as a green way to clean waste water without the use of chemicals or other potentially environmentally unfriendly products.

History

• Ultrasound technology has been around for decades and most known as an imaging tool for medicine. The U.S. Department of Energy first asked for requests pertaining to the use of pulsed ultrasound technology to treat waste water in 1998 and today scientists have proved the technology can kill bacteria in waste water.

Benefits

• The primary benefit to the use pulsed ultrasound to treat waste water it that is an environmentally-friendly, or "green" technology. It uses high intensity pulses of sound waves to vibrate bacteria and other organic components of waste water and destroy them. The vibrations also help to introduce oxygen back into the water.

Function

• High intensity pulses of sound waves have been shown to cause cavitation and collapse of microbubbles that can be used to destroy E.Coli bacteria. It has also been proven to degrade acid orange, an industrial colorant. These are only a few of the many uses the technology can be used for including destroying additional types of bacteria and degrading other pollutants. Much of the technology is still in the experimental phase and being tested for efficient use as a waste water treatment alternative.

Considerations

• While pulsed ultrasound technology may be of use to degrade various organic and chemical contaminants, it will not be able to destroy other particulates in the waste water such as larger particles of dirt and other matter. It will need to be used in conjunction with other treatment methods.

Significance

• Waste water treatment has remained largely unchanged over the years as cities and municipalities have used many of the same methods of purifying waste water before sending it back out into the lakes and rivers. Large vats straining out large particles have been the norm. Pulsed ultrasound technology is one of the few alternatives being considered for the future of waste water treatment.