• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
• /
• v.38 no.5
• /
• pp.211-219
• /
• 2022

In this study, the effect of liquid height/volume on sonochemical oxidation reactions was investigated in 300 kHz sonoreactors. The gas mixture of Ar/O₂ (50:50) was applied in two modes including saturation and sparging, and zero-order reaction (KI dosimetry) and first-order reaction (Bisphenol A (BPA) degradation) were used to quantitatively analyze sonochemical oxidation reactions. For the zero-order reaction, the highest sonochemical oxidation activity was obtained for the liquid height of 5𝛌, and the lowest height for both the gas saturation and sparging conditions. In addition, the sparging did not enhance the sonochemical oxidation activity for all height conditions except for 50𝛌, where very low activity was obtained. It was found that in sonochemiluminescence (SCL) images the sonochemical active zone was formed adjacent to the liquid surface for the gas sparging condition due to the formation of the standing wave field while the active zone was formed adjacent to the transducer at the bottom due to the blockage of ultrasound. For the first-order reaction, the highest activity was also obtained at 5𝛌 and the comparison based on the reactant mass was not appropriate because the concentration of the reactant (BPA) decreased significantly as the reaction time elapsed. Consequently, it was revealed that the determination of optimal liquid height (ultrasound irradiation distance) based on the wavelength of the applied ultrasound frequency was very important for the optimal design of sonoreactors in terms of reaction efficiency and reactor size.

• Environmental Sciences Bulletin of The Korean Environmental Sciences Society
• /
• v.10 no.S_3
• /
• pp.127-137
• /
• 2001

The sonochemical Process has been applied as a treatment method and was investigated its effect on the decomposition of humic substances(HS). The reaction kinetics and mechanisms in the Process of sonochemical treatment for humic substances(HS) in wastewater have also been discussed. It was observed that the metal ions such as Fe(II) and Mn(II) showed catalytic effects, while Al(III), Ca(II), and Mg(II) had inhibitory effects on the decomposition of humic substances in sonochemical reaction with hydrogen peroxide. Experimental results also showed factors such as hydrogen peroxide dose affected the formation of disinfection by-products. Two trihalomethanes, chloroform and dichlorobromomethane were formed as major disinfection by-products during chlorination. The mechanism of radical reaction is controlled by an oxidation process. The radicals are so reactive that most of them are consumed by HS radicals and hydroxyl radicals can be acted on organic solutes by hydroxyl addition, hydrogen abstraction, and electron transfer. The depolymerization and the radical reaction of HS radicals appear to occur simultaneously. The final steps of the reaction are the conversion of organic acids to carbon dioxide.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.80-85
• /
• 2016

Acoustic cavitation can induce various sonochemical effects including pyrolysis and radical reactions and sonophysical effects including microjets and shockwave. In environmental engineering field, ultrasound technology using sonochemical effects can be useful for the removal and mineralization of recalcitrant trace pollutants in aqueous phase as one of emerging advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). In this study, the effect of liquid height, the distance from the transducer to the water surface, on sonochemical oxidation reactions was investigated using KI dosimetry. As the liquid height/volume increased (40~400 mm), the cavitation yield steadily increased even though the power density drastically decreased. It was found that the enhancement at higher liquid height conditions was due to the formation of standing wave field, where cavitation events could stably occur and a large amount of oxidizing radicals such as OH radicals could be continuously provided.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
• /
• v.34 no.6
• /
• pp.642-649
• /
• 2018

The effect of gas sparging on sonochemical oxidation was investigated in a 300 kHz sonoreactor under various liquid height/volume conditions ($5{\sim}30{\lambda}$, 3.4 ~ 9.0 L), determined by the wavelength of the applied frequency. The electrical input power was maintained constant for all cases . Sonochemical activity drastically decreased from $15{\lambda}$ and the liquid height of $10{\lambda}$ was suggested as the optimal height for 300 kHz without gas sparging. In our previous research, the sonochemical activity observed was five-times higher when air sparging was applied for 36 kHz. On the other hand, no enhancement was obtained at 10, 15, 25 and $30{\lambda}$ using air sparging (1, 3, and 6 L/min) for 300 kHz in this study $20{\lambda}$ and optimization of gas sparging was conducted at $20{\lambda}$ using various gases including air, Ar, $O_2$, $N_2$, and mixtures of Ar and $O_2$. It was found that gas sparging using pure Ar or pure $O_2$ resulted in lower sonochemical activity compared to that of air sparging due to the imbalance between the intensity of cavitation phenomena and the generation of oxidizing radical species. Consequently, the gas mixture of $Ar:O_2$ = 80 % : 20 % (DO saturation ${\approx}100%$) was suggested as an optimal gas sparging condition.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
• /
• v.18 no.3
• /
• pp.271-282
• /
• 2002

The sonochemical process has been applied as a treatment method to investigate its effect on the decomposition of humic substances (HS). The reaction kinetics and mechanisms in the process of sonochemical treatment for humic substances in wastewater have also been discussed. It was observed that the metal ions such Fe(II) and Mn(II) showed catalytic effects, while Al(III), Ca(II), and Mg(II) had inhibitory effects on the decomposition of humic substances in sonochemical reaction with hydrogen peroxide. Experimental results also showed factors such as hydrogen peroxide dose affected the formation of disinfection by-products. Two trihalomethanes, chloroform and dichlorobromomethane were formed as major disinfection by-products during chlorination. The depolymerization and the radical reaction of HS radicals appear to occur simultaneously. The final step of the reaction is the conversion of organic acids to carbon dioxide.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.22 no.5
• /
• pp.40-47
• /
• 2017

The effects of ultrasound in heterogeneous system were investigated in three kinds of ultrasonic systems including a bath-type system (System #1), a double-bath-type system (System #2), and a double-bath-type system partly filled with glass beads (System #3). The ultrasound energy and its attenuation were quantified using calorimetry and the sound pressure measurement method. The sonochemical effects mainly involved in radical oxidation reactions were quantified using KI dosimetry. It was found that ultrasound energy was significantly attenuated in System #2 and #3 due to the presence of solid materials such as a submerged stainless steel reactor and glass beads. However, in spite of low ultrasound energy status, sonochemical oxidation reactions occurred more violently due to the presence of glass beads in System #3. In addition, calorimetry was more adequate to estimate the total energy status of ultrasound in sonoreactors compared to the sound pressure measurement method.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.21 no.6
• /
• pp.128-134
• /
• 2016

Acoustic emission spectra was analyzed to investigate the distribution of sound pressure in a 36 kHz sonoreactor. The sound pressure of fundamental frequency (f: 36 kHz), harmonics (2f: 72 kHz, 3f: 108 kHz, 4f: 144 kHz, 5f: 180 kHz, 6f: 216 kHz), and subharmonics (1.5f: 54 kHz, 2.5f: 90 kHz, 3.5f: 126 kHz, 4.5f: 162 kHz, 5.5f: 198 kHz, 6.5f; 234 kHz) was measured at every 5 cm from the ultrasonic transducer using a hydrophone and a spectrum analyzer. It was revealed that the input power of ultrasound, the application of mechanical mixing, and the concentration of SDS affected the sound pressure distributions of the fundamental frequency and total detected frequencies frequencies significantly. Moreover a linear relationship was found between the average total sound pressure and the degree of sonochemical oxidation while there was no significant linear relationship between the average sound pressure of fundamental frequency and the degree of sonochemical oxidation.

• Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.72-81
• /
• 2003

• Journal of Wetlands Research
• /
• v.16 no.2
• /
• pp.205-212
• /
• 2014

Ultrasound technology can be applied in various fields including environmental, energy, and material engineering processes. In this study the effect of liquid height/volume on calorimetric energy and sonochemical oxidation was investigated as one of the basic steps for the design of water/wastereater treatment sonoreactors. The liquid height was increased from 0 to $4{\lambda}$ by $1/4{\lambda}$ and it was found that both calorimetric energy and sonochemical oxidation were significantly increased at relatively high liquid height/volume where the power density was relatively low. The sonochemiluminescence (SCL) images for the visualization of the activity of cavitation also showed that larger and more stable active zone was formed with high SCL intensity at high liquid height/volume. Therefore, it was revealed that sonoreactors for water/wasterwater treatment could be significantly effective in terms of removal efficiency and energy consumption.

• Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Sciences Society Conference
• /
• 1998.10a
• /
• pp.1-1
• /
• 1998

Advanced (Chemical) oxidation processes (AOP) differ from most conventional ones in that hydroxyl radical(OH.) is considered to be the primary oxidant. Hydroxyl radicalcan react non-selectively with a great number of organic and inorganic chemicals. The typical rate constants of true hydroxyl radical reactions are in the range of between 109 to 1012 sec-1. Many processes are possible to generate hydroxyl radical. These include physical and chemical methods and their combinations. Physical means involves the use of high energy radiation such as gamma ray, electron beam, and acoustic wave. Under an applied high energy radiation, water molecules can be decomposed to yield hydroxyl radicals or aqueous electrons. Chemical means include the use of conventional oxidants such as hydrogen peroxide and ozone, two of the most efficient oxidants in the presence of promoter or catalyst. Hydrogen peroxide in the presence of a catalyst such as divalent iron ions can readily produce hydroxyl radicals. Ozone in the presence of specific chemical species such as OH- or hydrogen peroxide, can also generate hydroxyl radicals. Finally the combination of chemical and physical means can also yield hydroxyl radicals. Hydrogen peroxide in the presence of acoustic wave or ultra violet beam can generate hydroxyl radicals. The principles for hydroxyl radical generation will be discussed. Recent case studied of AOP for water treatment and other environmental of applications will be presented. These include the treatment of contaminated soils using electro-Fenton, lechate treatment with conventional Ponton, treatment of coal for sulfur removal using sonochemical and the treatment of groundwater with enhanced sonochemical processes.