Coupled High and Low-Frequency Ultrasound Systems and Methods for Remediation of Contaminated Solids
AssigneeNew Jersey Institute of Technology
InventorsJay Meegoda, Jitendra Kewalramani
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Abstract
Systems and methods to remediate, degrade, and/or remove pollutants within various contaminated environmental solid media that includes contaminated soils and sediments, biosolids and slurries by subjecting a mixture of the contaminated solids and a liquid to acoustic cavitation generated by more than one type of ultrasonic device. One of the ultrasonic devices operates at a low frequency and the other ultrasonic device operates at a high frequency. The system advantageously provide an efficient, sustainable, and easy to handle approach to degrade contaminant, requiring only electrical energy
Claims22
A system to remediate contaminants from solids, comprising:
- a first type of ultrasonic device configured to emit ultrasonic energy at a first frequency to mix a liquid with contaminated solid particles and to mechanically detach or ultrasonically desorb contaminants from the contaminated solid particles;
- and
- a second type of ultrasonic device configured to emit ultrasonic energy at a second frequency to initiate, via oxidation by free radicals and pyrolysis, sonochemical degradation of the contaminants that are detached or desorbed from contaminated solid particles, the second frequency being greater than the first frequency.
A method for remediating contaminated solids, the method comprising:
- receiving contaminated solid particles and a liquid in an interior volume of a chamber;
- energizing a first type of ultrasonic device at a first frequency in the interior volume, the first type of ultrasonic device emitting ultrasonic energy at the first frequency to mix the liquid with contaminated solid particles and to mechanically detach or ultrasonically desorb contaminates from the contaminated solid particles;
- and
- energizing a second type of ultrasonic device at a second frequency in the interior volume, the second frequency being greater than the first frequency, the second type of ultrasonic device emitting ultrasonic energy at the second frequency to initiate, via oxidation by free radicals and pyrolysis, sonochemical degradation of the contaminates that have been mechanically detached or ultrasonically desorbed from the contaminated solid particles.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.