Detergent Dissolution Intensification via Energy-Efficient Hydrodynamic Cavitation Reactors

Abstract

In this study, we explored the potential of hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) for use in dissolution of liquid and powder detergents. For this, microfluidic and polyether ether ketone (PEEK) tube HC reactors with different configurations were employed, and the results from the reactors were compared with a magnetic stirrer, as well as a tergotometer. According to our results PEEK tube HC reactors present the best performance for dissolution of liquid and powder detergents. In the case of liquid detergent, for the same level of initial concentration and comparable final dissolution, the PEEK tube consumed 16.7 and 70% of the energy and time of a tergotometer and 16.7 and 14.8% of that of a magnetic stirrer, respectively. In the case of powder detergent, the PEEK tube used 12% less power than a tergotometer and 81.2% less power than a magnetic stirrer. Additionally, the time required to dissolve the detergent was reduced significantly from 1200 s in the tergotometer and 1800 s in the magnetic stirrer to just 50 s in the PEEK tube. These results suggest that HC could significantly improve the dissolution rate of liquid and powder detergents and energy consumption in washing machines.