1.

INTRODUCTION

It is clear that water is one of the essential substances for living system and it is necessary for
human survival on the earth. All humans daily consume water to sustain life and maintain a
good health, therefore water conservation is important and its quality must meet specific
standards. The quality of water is determined by many factors such as physical, chemical or
biological parameters. The main sources of drinking water are lakes, reservoirs, canal, ground
water, sea water, rain water, atmospheric water generation and fog collection that depending
on the source of pollutant, their pollution could be different.
General treatment of water is consisting of several stage to remove or reduction of suspended,
dissolved solid and microbial pollutants. Main process of water treatment include
flocculation, sedimentation and media filtration to remove colloidal and suspended solids, ion
exchange, carbon adsorption and membrane processes to remove dissolved solids; and at last
stage a disinfection for microbial inactivation that often performed by chlorination, ozonation
and ultraviolet radiation(UV).Nowadays Large scales of waste sludge are produced in
wastewater treatment plants and therefore many technical problems arise from treating and
disposing this sludge.
The waste water is mostly treated by biological process such as activated sludge process,
aerobic pond, and anaerobic treatment. Activated sludge process is more efficient technology
to meet stringent standard. It results in the generation of a considerable amount of activated
sludge that has to be wasted. The expense for excess sludge treatment has been estimated to
be up to 60% of the total operating cost of a wastewater treatment plant Moreover the
conventional disposal method of land filling causes secondary pollution problems. Therefore,
an interest in methods to reduce the volume and mass of excess sludge has been growing
rapidly. For the purpose of reducing the volume of sludge, anaerobic digestion has been
widely used.
The anaerobic stabilization is a slow process. Therefore, long residence times in the digester
and large digester volumes are required. Anaerobic degradation of particulate material and
macromolecules is considered to follow a sequence of four steps: hydrolysis, acidogenesis
,acetogenesis, and methanogenesis. In the case of sewage sludge digestion, the biological
hydrolysis has been identified as the rate-limiting step, e.g. break up of cell walls and
disintegration of sludge flocks. Thus, the biological sludge needs to be pretreated to enhance
the digestibility. The aim of such pretreatment is to rupture the cell wall and membrane to the

1
release the intra and extracellular matter into the aqueous phase for subsequent degradation,
and this process is called sludge disintegration. Due to high detention times for the
stabilization and difficulties in sludge disintegration, sludge digestion requires the application
of other methods in order to reduce the detention time and neglect any limitation and finally
decrease the operation and maintenance costs. But any process of water treatment has some
purification limitation and application problems such as high cost, ineffective for removal
some pollutant, operation problems and generate toxic secondary pollutants. For example,
common problem in anaerobic treatment is fouling and sludge disintegration is a serious
problem. Many investigations have been performing to eliminate this limitation by
application of innovates techniques.
There are several methods for treating this sludge including physical, chemical and biological
processes that this research is working on of the physical methods that helps the treatment of
sludge by producing ultrasound waves. Ultrasonic wave is effective on the hydrolysis and
improvement of biological degradation of various organic compounds in waste water and
aerobic digestion in activated .Ultrasonic process increases the enzymatic activity and thus
decreases the detention time and time of hydrolysis which is a limiting factor in digestion
process.

1.1Abbreviations And Full forms

USRT - Ultra Sonic Reactor Technology

BOD- Biological Oxygen Demand

COD- Chemical Oxygen Demand

SCOD- Soluble Chemical Oxygen Demand

TS-Total Solids

WWTP- Waste Water Treatment Plant

2
2. SONICATION

Ultrasonic frequencies (>20 kHz) are usually used, leading to the process also being known
as ultrasonication or ultra-sonication. Ultrasound is longitudinal wave is above the human
audible range, part of the sonic spectrum that ranges from 20 kHz to 10 MHz, is generated by
a transducer in the Ultrasonic device that converts mechanical or electrical energy into high
frequency acoustical (sound) energy. The sound energy is then fed to a horn that transmits the
energy as high frequency vibrations to the liquid being processed. A wave propagates in a
liquid through alternating cycles of compression and rarefaction. Sonication is the act of
applying sound (usually ultrasound) energy to agitate particles in a sample, for various
purposes. Ultrasonic technology as an innovative technology may be used for water and
wastewater treatment for pollution removal. Sonication applied to different phases of
wastewater and sewage sludge treatment can be beneficial in many respects. In the
laboratory, it is usually applied using an ultrasonic bath colloquially known as a sonicator
which works on the basis of sound theory. The basis for the present-day generation of
ultrasound was established as far back as 1880 with the discovery of the piezoelectric effect
by the Curies
Sonication has numerous effects, both chemical and physical. The chemical effects of
ultrasound are concerned with understanding the effect of sonic waves on chemical systems,
this is called sonochemistry. The chemical effects of ultrasound do not come from a direct
interaction with molecular species. Studies have shown that no direct coupling of the acoustic
field with chemical species on a molecular level can account for
sonochemistry or sonoluminescence. Instead, in sonochemistry the sound waves migrate
through a medium, inducing pressure variations and cavitations that grow and collapse,
transforming the sound waves into mechanical energy.
This technology acts as an advanced oxidation process. Sonication can be used to speed
dissolution, by breaking intermolecular interaction. It may also be used to provide the energy
for certain chemical reactions to proceed. Application of this technology leads to the
decomposition of many complex organic compounds to much simpler compounds during
physical and chemical compounds during cavitation process. Ultrasound treatment is one of
several technologies that promote hydrolysis – the rate-limiting stage during wastewater
treatment. The basic principal of ultrasound is based on the destruction of both bacterial cells
and difficult-to-degrade organics.

3
In US waves, energy is transmitted by the vibration of the molecules in the environment
where the wave is being spread. US could generate by two techniques, firstly
“magnetostrictive” electrical energy is converted to mechanical energy (or vibration) with a
magnetic coil attached to vibrating piece like nickel and Terfenol-D. Secondly for
piezoelectric technique, the electrical energy is converted to high frequency electric energy
with piezoelectric crystals (rely to material strain) attached to the vibrating piece (sonotrode,
probe or horn. This study focuses on the second method.

4
3. SONICATOR

Ultrasonic device that converts mechanical or electrical energy into high frequency acoustical
(sound) energy known as a sonicator. A Sonicator system is comprised of 3 major
components: Generator, Converter and Horn (also known as a probe). The ultrasonic
electronic Generator transforms AC line power to high frequency electrical energy. The
generator features a keypad or buttons which allow the user to control the sonication
parameters. The generator provides high voltage pulses of energy at a frequency of 20 kHz
that drives a piezoelectric Converter. The converter is a cylindrical device which is connected
to the generator by a high voltage cable. The converter transforms electrical energy to
mechanical vibration due to the characteristics of the internal piezoelectric crystals. The
vibration is amplified and transmitted down the length of the Probe/Horn. Probes have
threaded ends and attach to the converter. During operation, the probe’s tip longitudinally
expands and contracts. Amplitude is the distance the tip travels and is dependent on the
amplitude setting selected by the user.

3.1.Direct vs. Indirect Sonication Methods

Direct sonication (inserting a probe directly into a sample vessel) is the most common way
to process a sample. Energy is transmitted from the probe directly into the sample with high
intensity and the sample is processed quickly. The diameter of the probe’s tip dictates the
liquid volume that can be effectively processed. Smaller tip diameters (Microtip probes)
deliver high intensity sonication and the energy is focused within a small, concentrated area.
Larger tip diameters can process larger volumes, but offer lower intensity. Boosters and High
Gain horns can be used to increase the output of large diameter probes. Probes are offered
with either replaceable or solid tips and are made from titanium.
Indirect sonication eliminates the need for a probe to come in contact with your sample. This
technique is often described as a high intensity ultrasonic bath. The ultrasonic energy is
transmitted from the horn, up through the water and into a vessel or multiple sample tubes.
Indirect sonication is most effective for very small samples because foaming and sample loss
are eliminated. Pathogenic or sterile samples are ideal for this method because aerosols and
cross contamination are prevented. The Cup Horn and Microplate Horn deliver indirect
sonication and are ideal for many high throughput applications.

5
Fig.1 Direct and indirect sonication method respectively
( Source:www.bioke.com)

6
4. SOUND THEORY

Most modern ultrasonic devices rely on transducers which are composed of piezoelectric ma-
terials. Such materials respond to the application of an electrical potential across opposite
faces with a small change in dimensions. This is the inverse of the piezoelectric effect. If the
potential is alternated at high frequencies, the crystal converts electrical energy to mechanical
vibration (sound) energy. At sufficiently high alternating potential, high frequency sound
(ultrasound) will be generated. When more powerful ultrasound at a lower frequency is
applied to a system, it is possible to produce chemical changes as a result of acoustically
generated cavitation . Frequencies above 18 kHz are usually considered to be ultrasonic. The
frequencies used for ultra-sonic cleaning, range 20 kHz to over 100 kHz.
The most commonly used frequencies for industrial cleaning are those between 20 and 50
kHz. Ultrasound has wavelengths between successive compression waves measuring roughly
10 to 10-3 cm. These are not comparable to molecular dimensions .Because of this mis-match,
the chemical effects of ultrasound cannot result from a direct interaction of sound with
molecular species .

Fig.2 Compression and expansion cycle of ultrasound

( Source: Application of Ultrasonic Technology for Water and Wastewater Treatment - AH
Mahvi)

7
5. BUBBLE CAVITATION

Ultrasound reactor technology (USRT) in a liquid leads to the acoustic cavitation

phenomenon such as formation, growth, and collapse of bubbles (cavitation), accompanied
by generation of local high temperature, pressure, and reactive radical species (°OH , °OOH)
via thermal dissociation of water and oxygen. In elastic media such as air and most solids,
there is a continuous transition as a sound wave is transmitted. In non-elastic media such as
water and most liquids, there is continuous transition as long as the amplitude or loudness of
the sound is relatively low. As amplitude is increased the magnitude of the negative pressure
in the areas of rarefaction eventually becomes sufficient to cause the liquid to fracture
because of the negative pressure, causing a phenomenon known as cavitation. The movement
of waves in aquatic environment causes molecules fluctuation and lead to contraction and
expansion cycle .In contraction cycle, the average distance between molecules decreases and
in expansion cycles these distances are increased. If adequate pressure in expansion area
induces the aquatic environment, the average distance between molecules exceed the critical
distance and causes the liquid to dispersed and make cavitations bubbles. When these
bubbles formed, they grow and adsorb energy. The bubbles' surface increase and decrease by
expansion and contraction. The bubble's surface in each expansion cycle increases until it
reaches to a critical point and cannot absorb any more energy; therefore, it explodes. The
violent collapse produces very powerful hydro mechanical shear forces in the bulk liquid
surrounding the bubble .

Fig.3 The fine bubble formation in high pressure and temperature

( Source: Application of Ultrasonic Waves for Sludge Dewatering – Farshad Golbabaei
Kootenaei, Naser Mehrdadi, Hasan Amini Rad)

8
It has been shown that macromolecules with a molar mass above 40,000 are disrupted by the
hydro mechanical shear forces produced by ultrasonic cavitation and also may be the
dominant factor for the disintegration enhancement. These extreme conditions can lead to the
thermal destruction of compounds present in the cavitation bubbles and a phenomenon such
as ionization occur which leads to the generation of reactive hydroxyl radicals .These radicals
can make various chemical compositions

Two principal mechanism of contaminants destruction in sonolysis are

:pyrolysis reaction in cavitations bubbles, Reactions by hydrogen and hydroxyl radicals
which created by water sonolysis. These radicals penetrate into water and oxidize dissolved
organic compounds. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is formed as a consequence of °OH and
°OOH radical recombination in the outside of the cavitation bubble These mechanisms are
presented in the following formulas (Crittenden, 2005):

Fig.4 Formulas related to pyrolysis of water

( Source: Application of Ultrasonic Waves for Sludge Dewatering – Farshad Golbabaei
Kootenaei, Naser Mehrdadi, Hasan Amini Rad)

This is the way sonochemical reactions can degrade volatile pollutants by pyrolytic processes
inside the cavitation bubbles and non-volatile pollutants by hydroxyl radical reactions in the
bulk liquid.

5.1 Types Of Acoustic Cavitation

There are two types of acoustic cavitation: transient and stable (or controlled). Transient
cavities exist for a few cycles, and are followed by a rapid and violent collapse, or implosion,

9
that produces very high local temperatures. Ultrasonic cleaning frequencies transform low
energy/density sound waves into high-energy/density collapsing bubbles, producing transient
acoustic cavitation. Transient acoustic cavitation can cause damaging surface erosion in more
sensitive substrates .Totally weaken or disrupt bacteria or biological cells by ultrasonic could
be attributed to following processes: Forces due to surface resonance of the bacterial cell are
induced by cavitation. Pressures and pressure gradients resulting from the collapse of gas
bubbles which enter the bacterial solution on or near the bacterial cell wall. Bacterial cell
damage results from mechanical fatigue, over a period of time, which depends on frequency .
Shear forces induced by micro streaming occurs within bacterial cells. Chemical attack due to
the formation of radicals during cavitation in aqueous media. These radicals attack the
chemical structure of the bacterial cell wall and weaken the cell wall to the point of
disintegration .Amongst final products of this sonochemical degradation of water is hydrogen
peroxide, which is a strong bactericide.
Bubble type not only depends on the frequency, but also on the input power or transducer
configuration. As the flow becomes turbulent, the sonoluminescence signal reaches a plateau
for three out of four frequencies, and a transition from transient to stable cavitation occurs for
frequencies below 200 kHz.

6. ULTRASOUND APPLICATIONS

In recent years, considerable interest has been shown in the application of ultrasound as an
advanced oxidation process for the treatment of hazardous contaminants in water.
Sonochemistry has been demonstrated as a promising method for the destruction of aqueous
pollutants.

10
7. CASE STUDY

Source: AH Mahvi(2009). Application of Ultrasonic Technology for Water and Wastewater

Treatment .Iranian Journal of Public Health, Vol.38,Issue.2,pp.:1-17

7.1 Ultrasonication Conditions

Ultrasonic (US) pre-treatment specifications were taken as under

Sample volume 100 mg/L.
US Power: 250 W.
US Intensity: power supplied per transducer area (50.95 watt per cm sq.)
US Density: power supplied per sample volume (2500 watt per lit)
US Dose: Energy supplied per sample volume (j/l)

7.2 Applications Of Ultrasound In Phenolic Effluents Treatment

Phenol is one of the most abundant pollutants in industrial wastewater. Phenol is released to
the environment from industries such as petroleum refining, coal tar, steel, tanning,
pesticides, pharmaceuticals and etc .Phenol has attracted public attention due to its presence
in groundwater, rivers and drinking waters. Phenol even in small quantities causes toxicity
and foul odour to the water. Most of the countries specify maximum allowable concentration
of phenol in effluent to be less than 1 ppm . Several treatment methods such as chemical
oxidation, biological treatment, wet oxidation, ozonolysis and activated carbon adsorption
have been proposed for the removal of phenol from industrial effluents. In recent years
advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) like sonication was developed.
In a study phenol degradation was carried out for 5 h irradiation time. Figure 5 shows the
variations of phenol concentration with time. Only 13% degradation of phenol has been
observed for 300 min sonication of 100 mg/L phenol solution.
The experimental data from this study shows initial rate of ultrasonic degradation was high
but later it reduced substantially. It demonstrated that lower pH values had favoured the
phenol degradation. The maximum and minimum efficiencies of phenol degradation were
determined to be 37% and 19% at pH values of 3 and 11, respectively. Rates of reactions
involving hydroxyl radicals (H202 formation and phenol degradation) have a maximum value

11
at 200 kHz compared with lower and higher frequencies (20, 500 and 800 kHz).
Decomposition rates of non-volatiles were lower than volatiles.
The effects of low frequency ultrasound (20 kHz) to remove organic contaminants containing
aromatic compounds such as phenol (100 mg/L) alone was evaluated. Results showed that
phenol removal is about 10% after 180 min. Also the main mechanism of phenol removal is
through reaction with °OH. Phenol removal efficiency was increased using phenton process
up to 85% in 120 min.
The degradation of phenol by ultrasonic equipment operating at 130 kHz has been studied.
Also influences of various factors, such as initial pH and initial phenol concentrations on the
ultrasonic degradation of phenol. Observations include that initially the rate of ultrasonic
degradation of phenol is high but later it reduces substantially.
This can be explained by the fact that whatever dissolved air is present in the solution, it is
degassed after the initial period of sonication resulting in a decrease in the amount of
hydroxyl radicals generated.

Fig.5 Effect of the initial concentration of phenol on the sonodegradation at 130

kHz
( Source: Application of Ultrasonic Technology for Water and Wastewater Treatment - AH
Mahvi)

12
7.3 Algae Removal

Algae growth is the common problem in the water treatment plants and water reservoir.
Algae are aquatic organisms classified separately from plants. Algae are a large and diverse
group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular
forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. Exist of bloom concentrations
of algae cause some problems such as increased coagulant demand and treatability, taste and
odour issues, filter blocking and toxin release. The main factors that influence algae growth
are temperature and light Some types of algae are green algae, the red algae, the diatoms,
brown algae and the flagellate algae. A novel method to inhibit growth of algal population is
application of ultrasonic irradiation. Ultrasonic irradiation in a liquid medium has been used
for many years to lyse biological cells. Ultrasonication may have the potential to reduce their
capacity to float and control their buoyancy there by reducing their concentration near the
surface of water bodies and reduction their growth and survival. Ultrasonication may also
inhibit or reduce growth of algal population through its effect on metabolic processes.
Application of ultrasonic irradiation to control algal population was evaluated in the
laboratory conditions and results showed that short exposure to ultrasonic irradiation
collapsed algae gas vacuoles, which results in loss of buoyancy and regulating ability and
thus localizing the cells. By 30, 60, 90, 120 and 150 seconds of sonication, respectively 8.55,
35.22, 67.22, 90.67 and 100% of the algal population were destroyed. Besides, results
showed that increasing of sonication time has a considerable effect on algal removal. Results
indicate that there is no significant reduction in algal population in less than 30 seconds
contact time to 42 kHz but considerable reduction in control can be expected at higher
periods. Also reduction was observed from 19% and 15% for green algae and from 32% to
29% for diatoms respectively It is concluded that using this frequency 100% of the algal
population can be destructed in 150 sec.

7.4 Nematode Removal

There are more than 15,000 known species of roundworms and several thousands of
individual nematodes. Conventional water treatment processes are not highly effective in

13
nematodes removal. Nematodes are very resistant to inactivation by free chlorine and can
pass through rapid sand filters. One approach nematode inactivation is ultrasonic. In a
research it has been shown that exposure to ultrasonic irradiation results in destruction of
nematodes. 12 min sonication destroys 100% of the nematodes. Also results show that
increasing of sonication time has a considerable effect on nematode removal. Results also
indicate that there is no significant kill of nematodes in less than 8 min contact time to 42
kHz, but considerable levels in control can be expected at higher periods. By 2, 4, 6, 8, 10
and 12 minutes of sonication, respectively 23.75, 42.50, 53.5, 82.25, 89.25 and 100% of
adults are destroyed, but by 2, 4, 6 and 8 min of sonication, respectively 38.0, 50.5, 58.75 and
100% of the larva are destroyed.

7.5 Coliform Removal

Results of study showed that increasing of sonication time has a significant effect on bacterial
kill.

Fig.6 Disappearing of bacterial colonies

( Source: Effect Of Two Waves Of And Ultrasonic On Waste Water Treatment- Kumar R,
Yadav N, Rawat L And Goyal M K)

14
These results also indicate that there is no significant kill of fecal coliforms in less than 10
min contact time to 35 kHz but considerable levels all in activation can be expected at higher
periods. When ultrasonic bath is used to sonicate smaller volumes of bacteria at low
frequency, there is a resultant in the intensity of ultrasonic entering the system. Furthermore,
this study showed removal efficiency in 90 min was highest. On the other hand, sonication of
smaller volumes results in more rapid kill. Fig. 7 summarizes results of these experiments. As
can be seen up to 99.95% reduction in bacteria concentrations were achieved with the
majority of these reductions found to occur in the 90 min .

Fig.7 Sonication time versus fecal coliform removal

( Source: Application of Ultrasonic Technology for Water and Wastewater Treatment - AH
Mahvi)

Experiments show that it is possible to decrease the number of organisms present in the water
and that the process depends on exposure time, frequency and intensity of the ultrasound
irradiation, as well as on the type of organisms . Effectiveness of ultrasonic in treatment of
total coliforms was studied . Results show that increasing in sonication time has considerable
effect on bacterial kill. Also, there is no significant kill of total coliforms in less than 20 min
contact time to 42 kHz but considerable levels of inactivation can be expected at higher
periods. When ultrasonic bath is used to sonicate smaller volumes of bacteria at low
frequency, there is a resultant in the intensity of ultrasonic entering the system. The highest
and lowest bacteria reduction after sonication were 99.94% and zero. Furthermore, this study

15
showed that removal efficiency in 90 min was highest. On the other hand, sonication of
smaller volumes produced a more rapid kill. Also, up to 99.84% reduction in bacteria
concentration was achieved with the majority of these reductions found to occur in the 90
min. they concluded that sonication leads to formation of dead bacterial cells. It was shown
that by 5, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 min of sonication, respectively 43.75, 78.61,
82.71, 85.62, 97.82, 98.99, 99.29, 99.50, 99.63 and 99.84% of the total coliforms are
destroyed. Besides, the results show that increasing the sonication time has a significant
effect on bacterial kill. Results also indicate that there is no significant kill of Total Coliforms
in less than 20 min contact time to 42 kHz but considerable levels of inactivation can be
expected at higher periods. When ultrasonic bath is used to sonicate smaller volumes of
bacteria at low frequency, there is a resultant in the intensity of ultrasonic entering the
system. According results the highest and lowest bacteria reduction after sonication were
99.94% and zero. As can be seen, up to 99.84% reduction in bacteria concentration was
achieved with the majority of this reduction found to occur in the 90 min.

Fig.8 Sonication time versus total coliform removal

( Source: Application of Ultrasonic Technology for Water and Wastewater Treatment - AH
Mahvi)

7.6 Organic Matters

Results of a study show that US reduces BOD5 of secondary effluent, but sanitation time had
no considerable effect on the efficiency of this treatment. Suspended BOD5 was removed

16
completely (approximately 100%), however soluble BOD5 was increased in some cases.
Efficiency of total COD removal was determined to be 17-28%. Removal of suspended COD
is better accomplished than SCOD. In this study most of COD removal was accomplished in
initial sonication time and removal efficiency was not much increased by time. Better
organics removal from secondary effluent is performed at 130 kHz compared with the lower
frequency. Efficiency of treatment in 60 min sonication at the frequency of 35 kHz was about
24%, but raised to about 28% at 130 kHz. H202 formation at 130 kHz frequency was about
2.5 times higher than 35 kHz. In contrast to TCOD, removal efficiency of suspended COD
was better at 35 kHz. Figs. 9 and 10 shows summary of this study.

Fig.9 BODS variations of different effluent samples at two frequencies

( Source: Application of Ultrasonic Technology for Water and Wastewater Treatment - AH
Mahvi)

17
 (i)

(ii)
Fig.10 TCOD and SCOD removal efficiency by u ltrasound at two frequencies : (i:
35 kHz and ii:130 kHz)
( Source: Application of Ultrasonic Technology for Water and Wastewater Treatment - AH
Mahvi)

7.7 Fungi Removal

The results of disinfection during sonicating 500 ml fungi suspension at eight different
samples (200, 1000, 2000, 3500, 5500, 6500, 10000 and 17000 CFU/ml) are taken.Number of
fungi decreases with increasing in disinfection period. Results showed that increasing in

18
disinfection time has considerable effect on fungi reduction. Also, there is no significant
reduction of fungi in less than 15 min exposure time to 42 kHz but considerable levels of
reduction can be expected after longer periods (99.92%). It is suggested that USRT at a
frequency of 26 kHz is capable to some degree of inactivating fungi cells. Experiments at 42
kHz can be seen to be more effective than operation at less than this frequency. Results of the
fundamental investigation included effect of USRT power, cell numbers, and flow rate on the
inactivation of the fungi cells. Inactivation by USRT was fastest at the lowest initial cell
numbers.

7.8 Sludge Dewatering

The sludge should be stabilized for safe utilization and disposal in environment. In large
wastewater treatment plants high quantities of sludge are produced. Therefore, prior to
disposal, solids must be processed for dewatering and reduction of its volatile solids. The
processes prior to sludge disposal are thickening, dewatering and stabilization. Dewatering of
sludge is reducing transfer and disposal costs. Typical methods for dewatering are filtering,
centrifuge, drying sludge bed and lagoons. At the present time, sludge undergoes many
important technical challenges and about 50% of the investments and operation costs are
associated with sludge treatment.
Chemicals and polyelectrolyte are typically added to sludge in order to improve
dewaterability. The addition of polyelectrolyte to sludge is presently the most widely used
pretreatment in wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). The addition of polyelectrolyte,
however, increases costs and may also cause secondary environmental pollution. Thus,
various alternative methods have been proposed to improve sludge dewaterability, including
the addition of acids and surfactants, Fenton's reagent pretreatment, ultrasonication, and ultra-
rapid freezing. Among these methods, ultrasonication is an efficient tool for sludge
disintegration and improving sludge biodegradability, and it is generally regarded as a useful
method for enhancing sludge dewaterability because it's it's an environmental friendly
process.
Ultrasonic energy was reported useful to dewater suspensions such as slurries and sludge. In
fact, ultrasonic stresses produce a kind of sponge effect and facilitate the migration of
moisture through natural channels or other channels created by wave propagation. Other
ultrasonic effects such as acoustic streaming, local heating, interface instabilities, agitation
and cavitation may also be beneficial for solid/liquid separation. Changes of structure and

19
properties of sludge influence the efficiency of the dewatering process .Scientists detected
that the effect of high power acoustic treatment, at 10 to 20 kHz, could be used to improve
solid/liquid separation in cake filtration processes. The application of ultrasonic waves to the
sludge significantly reduced its viscosity and particle size, while its capillary suction time
was increased. Nevertheless, ultrasonication treatment improved the dewatering process by
increasing the total solid content of the sludge. The effect of ultrasonication on sludge
dewaterability was subjected to energy dosages. Each energy dosage led to a different
dewatering result. Low energy dosage slightly enhanced sludge dewaterability, while high
energy dosage significantly deteriorated sludge dewaterability. Treatment with 800 KJ/Kg TS
was determined to be the optimal energy dosage for optimal results. The optimal energy
dosage generated sludge with optimal EPS concentration and particle size distribution.

20
8. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

There are no additives introduced into the ultrasonic system and no by products generated by
ultrasonic technology. Therefore, there are no anticipated environmental concerns associated
withthis technology .In contrast to many other processes which are negatively affected when
suspended solids of effluent increase, US efficiency may even improve by increase of
turbidity or suspended solids. Although the technology has been shown to be feasible on a
small scale, the commercialization of sonolysis is still a challenge, due to the high energy
requirement of the process .

21
9. SUMMARY
Since the energy consumption is very high for total mineralization of contaminants, the
ultrasonic process could be used as a pre-oxidation and it can be used in the direct treatment
of concentrated wastewater before it treated in the biological units. The ultra-sonication is
one of the very useful techniques for the treatment of waste water. Ultrasound in a liquid or
sewage sludge leads to the acoustic cavitation phenomenon, such as the formation, growth,
and collapse of bubbles, accompanied by the generation of local high temperature, pressure,
and reactive radical species which greatly affects passive membrane permeability's, active
transport processes and metabolic rates.
The case study suggest that ultrasonic in low-kilohertz frequency range has some efficacy in
inactivating some disease agents in water. This would suggest that transient cavitation is the
physical mechanism responsible for affecting the microorganisms. The stable cavitation
mechanism would appear to require much higher intensity levels for such effects. Studies
indicate that some degree of an ultrasonic induced germicidal effect can be obtained against
fecal coliforms in water.Also, results show that increasing of sonication time proves fecal
coliforms kill as expected. Sonication of smaller volumes produced a more rapid kill. But in
large-scale water treatment plants lesser sonication times would prove to be uneconomical at
the power used in this work. Therefore, using higher ultrasonic power is more beneficial in
above process than using low power and leads to greater efficiency in destruction of bacterial
cells
Treatment of secondary effluent by ultrasonic can reduce about 30% of the remained organics
in these effluents. Secondary effluent contains different organic compounds with specific
characteristics. Thus, each have different behaviour in treatment by ultrasonic. Sometimes,
treatment by US converts complex organics to much smaller compounds and it is obvious
that much sonication times are needed for complete demineralization.
USRT substantially improves the effectiveness of removing sewage fungi through the effects
of acoustic cavitation in water.
From these studies of the effects of ultrasonic upon the destruction of microorganisms, it can
be seen that ultrasonic is suitable for water disinfection and can achieve the following:
Remove chlorine from water efficiently and ultrasonic reduces the amount of chlorine
required for disinfection. Sonication leads to the formation of dead bacterial cells. Sonication
of smaller volumes produced a more rapid kill.

22
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7. Tomasz Kamizela, Mariusz Kowalczyk, Krystyna Malinska(2015).Journal Of
Engineering And Protection Of Environment,Vol.18,Issue.2:155-167
8. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonication
9. https://www.hielscher.com/ultrasonic-lysis-cell-disruption-extraction.htm
10. https://www.seminarsonly.com/Civil_Engineering/sonication-seminar-report-
ppt.php
11. https://www.sonicator.com

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