GLIN==> Researcher Uses Ultrasound Bubbles to Break Down Medicines in Drinking Water

Researcher Uses Ultrasound Bubbles to Break Down Medicines in Drinking Water

 

June 30, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

COLUMBUS-An Ohio Sea Grant researcher is investigating ultrasound as a way
to break down trace amounts of pharmaceuticals in water before they reach
kitchen faucets. Because water treatment plants don't have the technology to
remove these compounds, small amounts of medicines and personal care
products wash into rivers and streams, affecting aquatic animals and
entering the drinking water of as many as 41 million Americans.

 

Dr. Linda Weavers, a Professor in Ohio State University's College of
Engineering, uses an ultrasound probe in the water to generate sound waves
that pull water molecules apart so quickly that tiny micron-size bubbles
form. The wave pushes the water back together and violently collapses the
bubbles. The collapsing bubble generates intense pressure and temperatures
hotter than the sun. That's when interesting chemistry happens, Weavers
says. The heat and pressure break apart pharmaceuticals and personal care
products, like sunscreen and perfume, in the bubbles.

 

Weavers has found that ultrasound cleans water better than other methods
that require a lot of energy and material. Filtration systems allow trace
amounts to pass through, they get clogged with salts in wastewater and water
chemistry can affect how well these filters work.

 

Information from this project will help engineers design a model for higher
scale testing. Weavers' next research project will be to test a less
expensive method of creating the bubbles, making the technology affordable
for municipalities.

 

Ohio State University's Ohio Sea Grant program is part of NOAA Sea Grant, a
network of 32 Sea Grant programs dedicated to the protection and sustainable
use of marine and Great Lakes resources. For information on Ohio Sea Grant
and Stone Lab, visit ohioseagrant.osu.edu.

 

To learn more about this Ohio Sea Grant-funded research, visit
ohioseagrant.osu.edu/_documents/twineline/v32i3.pdf.

 

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Contact:

 

Linda Weavers, Professor, College of Engineering, The Ohio State University:
614-292-4061, weavers.1 at osu.edu.

 

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