Sonication

Sonication is the act of applying sound energy to agitate particles in a sample, for various purposes such as the extraction of multiple compounds from plants, microalgae and seaweeds.

Studies have shown that no direct coupling of the acoustic field with chemical species on a molecular level can account for sonochemistry[3] or sonoluminescence.

[1] Sonication can be used for the production of nanoparticles, such as nanoemulsions,[5] nanocrystals, liposomes and wax emulsions, as well as for wastewater purification, degassing, extraction of seaweed polysaccharides[1] and plant oil, extraction of anthocyanins and antioxidants,[6] production of biofuels, crude oil desulphurization, cell disruption, polymer and epoxy processing, adhesive thinning, and many other processes.

Main applications are for dispersion to save expensive emulgators (mayonnaise) or to speed up filtration processes (vegetable oil etc.).

For instance, this technique was suggested to remove isoflavones from soybeans and phenolic compounds from wheat bran and coconut shell powder.

[11] Substantial intensity of ultrasound and high ultrasonic vibration amplitudes are required for many processing applications, such as nano-crystallization, nano-emulsification,[5] deagglomeration, extraction, cell disruption, as well as many others.

Commonly, a process is first tested on a laboratory scale to prove feasibility and establish some of the required ultrasonic exposure parameters.

During direct scale-up, all processing conditions must be maintained, while the power rating of the equipment is increased in order to enable the operation of a larger ultrasonic horn.

[12][13][14] Finding the optimum operation condition for this equipment is a challenge for process engineers and needs deep knowledge about side effects of ultrasonic processors.