Sonication-assisted air floatation removes oil more effectively

The use of sonication-assisted air floatation process to remove oil and grease from water is discussed. Sonication involves the transmission of sound waves through a fluid in a series of alternating cavitation cycles. Air floatation is a process used for separating low-density solids or liquid particles from a liquid phase. It is observed that sonication-assisted air floatation also accommodates high surface loading rates, thereby presenting an attractive alternative to solvent extraction because of better mass-transfer properties of supercritical fluids, shorter extraction times and ease of extract separation.