Ultrasound in textile dyeing and the decolouration/mineralization of textile dyes

In recent decades ultrasound has established an important place in different industrial processes such as the medical field, and has started to revolutionize environmental protection. The idea of using ultrasound in textile wet processes is not a new one. On the contrary there are many reports from the 1950s and 1960s describing the beneficial effects of ultrasound in textile wet processes. The aim of this paper is to review some fundamentals of ultrasound, its broad application and gather some new research and studies regarding ultrasound application in textile wet processes, with the emphasis on textile dyeing and the decolouration/ mineralization of textile wastewaters. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.