Multiple Roles of Ultrasonic Homogenization Technology in Water Treatment

In today’s era of increasingly scarce water resources, how to treat water efficiently and environmentally friendly has become a global focus. Although traditional water treatment technology has alleviated this problem to a certain extent, its high energy consumption, high cost, possible secondary pollution, and insufficient ability to remove dissolved organic matter in water cannot be ignored. In this context, ultrasonic technology, as a new type of water treatment technology, has the advantages of mild treatment conditions, wide applicability, and no secondary pollution, and has gradually entered people’s field of vision.

Ultrasonic Technology Principle

Ultrasonic waves are sound waves with a frequency higher than 20kHz, a short wavelength, and excellent conductivity in water. When ultrasonic waves propagate in water, a series of physical and chemical effects will occur, among which the most significant is cavitation. Cavitation refers to the fact that when ultrasonic waves propagate in liquids, due to the negative pressure of the sound waves, tiny bubbles in the liquid expand rapidly and burst instantly, thereby generating strong shock waves and microjets. These shock waves and microjets can destroy the molecular structure of pollutants in water and accelerate their decomposition and removal.

Ultrasonic water treatment applications

Ultrasonic technology has a wide range of applications in wastewater treatment, drinking water treatment, industrial water treatment, medical waste treatment and other fields.

• Degradation of organic pollutants: When ultrasonic waves propagate in water, cavitation bubbles are generated. The collapse of cavitation bubbles instantly releases huge energy, which can break the molecular bonds of organic matter in the water and decompose large molecular organic matter (pesticides, dyes, phenols, etc.) into small molecular substances, thereby improving their biodegradability and facilitating subsequent biological treatment.
• Sterilization: Ultrasonic waves can generate local high temperature, high pressure and strong impact force through cavitation, which can destroy the cell walls and cell membranes of microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses, thereby achieving the purpose of sterilization and disinfection.
• Enhanced oxidation process: Ultrasound can be combined with other chemical treatment technologies, such as ultrasound and ozone, ultrasound and hydrogen peroxide, to enhance oxidation capacity. Ultrasound can promote the decomposition of oxidants and produce more active oxygen species, such as hydroxyl radicals, which have strong oxidation capacity and can quickly oxidize organic matter in water.
• Enhanced coagulation effect: The cavitation effect of ultrasound can generate a strong impact force, causing suspended matter, colloidal particles, etc. in the water to collide, aggregate and settle with each other, thereby improving the clarity of the water.
• Removal of heavy metals: Ultrasound can enhance the adsorption capacity of adsorbents for heavy metal ions. Under the action of ultrasound, the surface structure and properties of the adsorbent may change, increasing its specific surface area and active sites, thereby increasing the adsorption capacity for heavy metal ions. At the same time, ultrasound can also promote the mass transfer process between the adsorbent and heavy metal ions, accelerating the adsorption rate.
• Promote membrane filtration: In membrane separation processes such as ultrafiltration, nanofiltration and reverse osmosis, ultrasound can reduce the deposition of pollutants on the membrane surface and improve the filtration efficiency and service life of the membrane.

Advantages of Ultrasonic Water Treatment

High efficiency: Ultrasonic technology can efficiently degrade organic pollutants and pathogenic microorganisms in water, improving the safety of water quality.

No secondary pollution: No harmful substances are produced during the ultrasonic treatment process, avoiding the risk of secondary pollution.

Flexibility: The treatment parameters can be adjusted according to different wastewater pollution conditions, providing better flexibility.

Precautions

1. The selection and optimization of ultrasonic water treatment technology should be adjusted and optimized according to the specific composition and treatment requirements of the wastewater.
2. Safety should be paid attention to during the treatment process to avoid secondary pollution.
3. Appropriate treatment methods should be selected according to actual conditions to ensure treatment effect and economy.
4. Treated wastewater and waste liquid should be stored and transported in a classified manner to prevent secondary pollution to the environment.

With the enhancement of environmental awareness and the promotion of technological innovation, the application prospects of ultrasonic technology in the field of water treatment are broad, and it is expected to become an important tool for water resource management in the future, making important contributions to protecting water resources and promoting sustainable development. Through interdisciplinary cooperation and international exchanges, we can expect ultrasonic technology to make more breakthroughs in the field of water treatment, bringing cleaner and safer water resources to mankind and the earth tomorrow.