*** 9661341 Farrar This Small Business Innovative Research Phase I to be carried Montec Associates, Inc. project presents a novel mechanical method to cause low-frequency, sonic-energy driven cavitation of liquids for application as an advanced oxidation reactor. Local high temperatures (>5000 C), high pressures (several hundred atmospheres) and high shear forces have been demonstrated to occur within cavitation bubbles generated by ultrasonics. The high energy environment created during implosion of the cavitation bubble acts as a "microreactor" to enable and/or to accelerate chemical reactions. The production of hydroxyl ions and peroxide for use as an aggressive oxidant via ultrasonically induced cavitation is well documented. The proposed technology, termed ResonantSonics, has been used at Montec to produce highly energetic cavitation in liquids and slurries at low-frequencies, e.g., <2000 Hertz. The ability to cause cavitation with low-frequency sonics has profound implications, as it overcomes the severe scaling and cost restrictions that have prevented the commercial ultrasonic processing applications. Exploratory tests conducted at Montec have demonstrated that ResonantSonics can destroy (oxidize) cyanide and greatly enhance removal of cyanide and fluoride, as well as heavy metals, from contaminated materials. The results of these exploratory experiments provide a strong motivation for Montec to develop ResonantSonics as a viable commercial advanced oxidation process. The technology has the potential to provide a viable, sonochemical means, suitable for efficient scale-up to destroy or convert a broad range of hazardous waste types. Commercial applications are numerous and include treatment of mixed and hazardous wastes at government and industrial sites. ***
