I-Corps: Coupled High and Low-Frequency Ultrasonic for the Destruction of Organics

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is to advance the development of power ultrasound for the destruction of hazardous chemicals. This technology can potentially be used for industrial and laboratory organic waste treatment, remediation/treatment of polluted soils/sediments, and water and wastewater treatment. The technology offers a cost-effective method for degrading toxic organic pollutants, eliminating the use of costly activated carbon or other adsorbents, and generating in situ removal of organic contaminants at the source. This I-Corps project explores translation of the sonochemistry associated with power ultrasound to develop a new environmental remediation technology for the degradation of pollutants such as PFAS, PCB, PAH, etc. Commercially available remedial approaches use sorption and stabilization techniques or incineration, but these are ineffective for certain classes of pollutants and incineration is an expensive alternative. This project explores sono-chemical reactions and sono-physical pyrolysis without requiring additional chemicals; the project will characterize the future optimization of parameters including frequency, transducer selection, and reactor geometry.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.