Ultrasound that can wipe out small toxic algal blooms
MAY 19, 2009
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.023349
New Scientist : When algae blooms occurs, the safest option is usually just to wait for the bloom to clear of its own accord, but now scientists at the University of Hull, UK, have discovered that by exposing algae to blasts of specific wavelengths of ultrasound they can rupture the plant’s buoyancy cells, causing them to sink and die.
The technique, which relies of frequencies close to 1 MHz, has an effective raduis of 20-meters, and is ideal for clearing algae blooms in lakes and ponds. However, because of the loud-nature of the sound (more than 35 dB over government safety standards) the researchers warn that caution should be taken if there are aquatic or semi-aquatic animals present.
© 2009 American Institute of Physics
