Ultrasonic PowerFlow: a cavitation-driven flow system for cell disruption

Ultrasound disinfection represents a significant technological advancement with potential applications across multiple domains, such as water and wastewater treatment, food processing, and industrial settings. Practically, the ultrasonic treatment was performed to minimize negative environmental impacts by producing zero by-products without the addition of any additives. Thus, this study aims to explore safer and more efficient disinfection methods that address this issue, focusing on the use of Ultrasonic PowerFlow cavitation-driven. The advanced system utilizes frequency ultrasound waves to generate microbubbles that collapse under pressure, producing high shear forces that effectively inactivate pathogenic cells. Flow cell ultrasound was fabricated as a continuous flow process and adjusted to a loop reactor operating at 30 kHz, with a variation of power increments to the system (14, 35, 50, 64 and 92 %). The evaluation performance of flow cell ultrasound based on the disruption of Escherichia coli wild-type cells as a model organism and kinetic disinfection analysis. By identifying optimal conditions: 60 minutes of sonication, 35% power increments, Inoculum 108 Colony Forming Unit (CFU)/ml and a flow rate of 55 ml/min. The present investigation adhered to a first-order kinetics model and achieved a higher inactivation rate constant of 0.0286 min-1 (R2 = 0.992) for the cells as a function of time in the kinetic process. This study demonstrates that the flow cell ultrasonic reactor is a highly effective and energy-efficient method for disinfection, offering a green alternative to traditional chemical methods. Indeed, the present findings support the goals of the Green Technology Master Plan Malaysia 2017–2030 by promoting sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions in the water and wastewater technology sectors.