The disinfection effect of a novel continuous-flow water sterilizing system coupling dual-frequency ultrasound with sodium hypochlorite in pilot scale

In this paper, a self-designed novel continuous-flow water disinfection system coupling dual-frequency ultrasound (US) with chemical disinfectant sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) was tested in a pilot scale using a simulated effluent containing Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis), one of the indicators of water treatment efficiency. A suspension having a B. subtilis concentration of approximately 10⁴ CFU/mL was introduced into the system to (1) investigate disinfection efficiency of US pretreatment with NaClO (US + NaClO) and simultaneous US and NaClO (US/NaClO) disinfection under different single frequencies; (2) further examine the disinfection efficiency of these two processes with dual-frequency US; and (3) identify dosage reduction of chlorine in this disinfection system. The results demonstrated that lower dual-frequency (17 kHz + 33 kHz) US pretreatment with NaClO disinfection and simultaneous higher dual-frequency (70 kHz + 100 kHz) US and NaClO were beneficial to bacterial inactivation in terms of sterilizing efficiency. It has also been observed that US pretreatment with lower combination of 17 + 33 kHz frequencies showed better enhancement in which log reduction reached to 3.82 after 10 min chlorine reaction (chlorine alone was 0.22 log reduction), nearly 1 log reduction higher than single frequencies at the same constant power. Consequently, at equivalent power dissipation levels, US of lower frequencies combination pretreatment with NaClO disinfection performed such a promising process that one-thirds (from 12 mg/L NaClO reduced to 8 mg/L NaClO) of the required NaClO dosage was reduced for the ideal disinfection efficiency of 4 log reduction, namely 100% disinfection. And the utilization efficiency of NaClO was increased from 37.67% to 85.25% in 30 min of treatment time using an optimized combination of pretreatment and chlorination.     

Effect of power ultrasound on crystallization characteristics of magnesium ammonium phosphate

Magnesium ammonium phosphate (MAP) crystallization could be utilized for the recovery of phosphorus from wastewater. However, the effectiveness of the recovery is largely determined by the crystallization process, which is very hard to be directly observed. As a result, a specific ultrasonic device was designed to investigate the crystallization characteristics of MAP under various ultrasonic conditions. The results demonstrated that the metastable zone width (MZW) narrowed along with the rising of the ultrasonic power. Similarly, for the 6 mM MAP solution, with the ultrasonic power gradually enhanced from 0 W to 400 W, the induction time was shortened from 340 s to 38 s. Meanwhile, the crystallization rate was accelerated till the power reached 350 W, and then remained a constant value. It can be observed from the scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the MAP crystal became bigger in size as well as the crystal size distribution (CSD) became broad and uneven, with the increase of ultrasonic power. The results indicate that the crystallization process enhanced by power ultrasound could be used as an effective method to eliminate and recover the phosphorus from wastewater.     

Adaptive optimization on ultrasonic transmission tomography-based temperature image for biomedical treatment

Hyperthermia has proven to be beneficial to treating superficial malignancies, particularly chest wall recurrences of breast cancer. During hyperthermia, monitoring the time–temperature profiles in the target and surrounding areas is of great significance for the effect of therapy. An ultrasound-based temperature imaging method has advantages over other approaches. When the temperature around the tumor is calculated by using the propagation speed of ultrasound, there always exist overshoot artifacts along the boundary between different tissues. In this paper, we present a new method combined with empirical mode decomposition(EDM), similarity constraint, and continuity constraint to optimize the temperature images. Simulation and phantom experiment results compared with those from our previously proposed method prove that the EMD-based method can build a better temperature field image, which can adaptively yield better temperature images with less computation for assistant medical treatment control.     

高频聚焦超声声场和温度场的仿真研究

为探究临床常用的7 MHz高频聚焦超声在多层生物组织中的声传播以及毫秒级时间内的生物传热规律问题,基于Westervelt方程和Pennes传热方程,使用有限元方法建立高频聚焦超声辐照多层组织的非线性热黏性声传播及传热模型。首先分析了线性模型和非线性模型之间的差异,然后在非线性模型下探究换能器的参数对声场和温度场的影响。仿真结果显示：在7 MHz频率下,当换能器输出声功率超过5 W时,声波传播的非线性效应不可忽视(p <0.05);当声功率从5 W增大到15 W时,非线性模型与线性模型预测的温度偏差从20%增加到34.703%;高频聚焦超声波的非线性行为比低频更加显著,基频能量向高次谐波转移的程度增大,声功率为10 W和15 W时4次谐波与基波之比分别达到7.33%和12.12%;高频换能器参数的改变对组织中声场和温度场分布的影响较大,换能器焦距从12 mm减小到11.2 mm,焦点处最高温度增加了77%。结果表明,7 MHz聚焦超声的非线性声传播需要考虑到4次谐波的影响。该文提出的多层组织非线性仿真模型可为高频聚焦超声换能器参数优化及制定安全、有效的术前治疗方案提供理论参考。     

Synergistic effects on iodine release in potassium iodide solution by combination of ultrasound and visible light irradiations

Iodine release in potassium iodide solution has been investigated under the irradiations of ultrasound and visible light respectively and simultaneously. We have observed that the amount of iodine liberated under the combined irradiation of ultrasound and visible light is larger than the sum of that under the respective irradiations of ultrasound and visible light, indicating a synergistic effect of ultrasound and visible light irradiations. Based on the investigation of the reaction kinetics of iodine liberated, we have ascribed the synergistic effect to the perfect stirring of the photochemical reactor induced by the applying simultaneous ultrasound. The ideal stirring can result in the homogenization of the primary light effect in the whole reaction medium, which induces the acceleration of the photochemical reaction. On behavior of our knowledge, there are few reports on the investigations of utilizing the combination of ultrasonic energy and light energy to accelerate the reaction yield and rate as well as the kinetics of the reaction.     

Ultrasound‐Assisted Synthesis of Hybrid Vanadium Oxide/Polyaniline Nanowires

A single‐step sonochemical procedure to synthesize hybrid vanadium oxide/polyaniline nanowires starting from crystalline V₂O₅ and aniline in aqueous medium is presented. The synthesis explores the effect of high power ultrasounds on heterogeneous solid–aqueous phases, which leads to 30 nm width wires of 5 to 10 µm in length. Monomer intercalation and oxidative polymerization within the inorganic matrix proceed simultaneously with morphological changes. The electronic conductivity of hybrid nanowires reaches 0.8 S · cm⁻¹ at room temperature.

     

Effects of ultrasonic treatment on amylose-lipid complex formation and properties of sweet potato starch-based films

To investigate the effect of ultrasonic treatment on the properties of sweet potato starch and sweet potato starch-based films, the complexing index, thermograms and diffractograms of the sweet potato starch-lauric acid composite were tested, and light transmission, microstructure, and mechanical and moisture barrier properties of the films were measured. The results indicated that the low power density ultrasound was beneficial to the formation of an inclusion complex. In thermograms, the gelatinization enthalpies of the ultrasonically treated starches were lower than those of the untreated sample. With the ultrasonic amplitude increased from 40% to 70%, the melting enthalpy (ΔH) of the inclusion complex gradually decreased. X-ray diffraction revealed that the diffraction intensity of the untreated samples was weaker than that of the ultrasonically treated samples. When the ultrasonic amplitude was above 40%, the diffraction intensity and relative crystallinity of inclusion complex gradually decreased. The scanning electronic microscope showed that the surface of the composite films became smooth after being treated by ultrasonication. Ultrasonication led to a reduction in film surface roughness under atomic force microscopy analysis. The films with ultrasonic treatment exhibited higher light transmission, lower elongation at break, higher tensile strength and better moisture barrier property than those without ultrasonic treatment.     

The cavitation erosion of ultrasonic sonotrode during large-scale metallic casting: Experiment and simulation

Ultrasonic sonotrodes play an essential role in transmitting power ultrasound into the large-scale metallic casting. However, cavitation erosion considerably impairs the in-service performance of ultrasonic sonotrodes, leading to marginal microstructural refinement. In this work, the cavitation erosion behaviour of ultrasonic sonotrodes in large-scale castings was explored using the industry-level experiments of Al alloy cylindrical ingots (i.e. 630 mm in diameter and 6000 mm in length). When introducing power ultrasound, severe cavitation erosion was found to reproducibly occur at some specific positions on ultrasonic sonotrodes. However, there is no cavitation erosion present on the ultrasonic sonotrodes that were not driven by electric generator. Vibratory examination showed cavitation erosion depended on the vibration state of ultrasonic sonotrodes. Moreover, a finite element (FE) model was developed to simulate the evolution and distribution of acoustic pressure in 3-D solidification volume. FE simulation results confirmed that significant dynamic interaction between sonotrodes and melts only happened at some specific positions corresponding to severe cavitation erosion. This work will allow for developing more advanced ultrasonic sonotrodes with better cavitation erosion-resistance, in particular for large-scale castings, from the perspectives of ultrasonic physics and mechanical design.     

长光程比色池-流动注射测定水中微量挥发酚

利用长光程比色池 流动注射系统快速测定水样中的微量挥发酚.该方法的检出限为0.232 μg·L^-1,相对标准偏差小于0.553%,相对误差小于0.185%,样品加标回收率在91.0%~99.8%,且标准曲线具有良好线性（r =0.999 9）.与传统国标方法（《水质挥发酚的测定4-氨基安替比林分光光度法》,HJ503-2009）相比,样品浓度测定偏差为2.59%~8.25%,在分析速率上,传统的国标方法约为5个·h^-1,而该方法分析速率达24个·h^-1,能满足大批量样品连续准确测定的要求,特别适合事故性的应急监测.     

Estimation of temperature elevation generated by ultrasonic irradiation in biological tissues using the thermal wave method

In most previous models,simulation of the temperature generation in tissue is based on the Pennes bio-heat transfer equation,which implies an instantaneous thermal energy deposition in the medium.Due to the long thermal relaxation time τ(20 s-30 s) in biological tissues,the actual temperature elevation during clinical treatments could be different from the value predicted by the Pennes bioheat equation.The thermal wave model of bio-heat transfer(TWMBT) defines a thermal relaxation time to describe the tissue heating from ultrasound exposure.In this paper,COMSOL Multiphysics 3.5a,a finite element method software package,is used to simulate the temperature response in tissues based on Pennes and TWMBT equations.We further discuss different factors in the bio-heat transfer model on the influence of the temperature rising and it is found that the temperature response in tissue under ultrasound exposure is a rising process with a declining rate.The thermal relaxation time inhibits the temperature elevation at the beginning of ultrasonic heating.Besides,thermal relaxation in TWMBT leads to lower temperature estimation than that based on Pennes equation during the same period of time.The blood flow carrying heat dominates most to the decline of temperature rising rate and the influence increases with temperature rising.On the contrary,heat diffusion,which can be described by thermal conductivity,has little effect on the temperature rising.