Cavitationally Driven Transformations: A Technique of Process Intensification

The process intensification (PI) can significantly improve energy and process efficiency by enhancing mixing, mass, and heat transfer as well as driving forces. There are several benefits of such improvements, which include energy and cost savings, enhanced safety, smaller reactor size, less waste generation, and higher product quality. This review article focuses on the PI, discussion about its dimensions and structure, what it involves, and recent developments in PI which can be achieved using the technique of cavitation. Recommendations for optimum operating parameters needed for process intensification using cavitation phenomena which has been reported in the literature have been presented along with some of our own work in the area. Some experimental case studies have been presented which highlight the degree of intensification achieved when cavitation is used for different physicochemical transformations. These physicochemical transformations include crystallization, emulsification, extraction, wastewater treatment, depolymerization, and water disinfection.