Contribution
Acoustophoresis for the separation of microplastic
* Presenting author
Abstract:
Acoustophoresis is an established method especially in biotechnology for the separation, sorting and positioning of cells and particles. Based on the Acoustic Radiation Force (ARF), focussed acoustic fields in particular can be used to achieve targeted force effects on individual objects. However, previous realisations with ultrasonic array transmitters, stationary sound fields or special acoustic transducers (SAW) were limited to small volumes. As part of a BMBF project (AKUSMI, FKZ: 49VF210052), the extent to which stationary and focussed quasi-stationary sound fields can be realised for the targeted influencing of solid particles in larger volumes for industrial applications is being investigated. The lecture discusses the physical basics of acoustophoresis, the technical requirements as well as concrete applications for the separation of microplastic particles from clear water streams. Theoretical and experimental results at f = 40 kHz for DN50 pipes will be presented.