Stimulation of bioprocesses by ultrasound

Abstract

Ultrasound (US) has become a ubiquitous technological process in a large variety of scientific disciplines. However, little information exists on the use of ultrasound to enhance biological processes and/or processing and consequently this paper provides an overview of work reported to date on this topic. This review provides a brief introduction to ultrasound and the history of ultrasound as applied to bioprocesses. This is followed by a discussion of the influence of US on discrete enzyme systems, enzymes used in bioremediation, microbial fermentations and enzymatic hydrolysis of biopolymers. Augmentation of anaerobic digestion by US is then considered along with enhancement of enzymes in food science and technology. The use of ultrasonically stimulated enzymes in synthesis is then considered and other relevant miscellaneous topics are described. It is concluded that the precise mechanism of action of US in bio-processing remains to be elucidated though a variety of plausible suggestions are made.

Low strength ultrasonication positively affects the methanogenic granules toward higher AD performance. Part I: Physico-chemical characteristics

“…Ultrasound, a sound wave at a frequency above the human hearing range of 20 kHz, has been widely applied to welding, degassing of solutions, defecting detection, etc (Kwiatkowska et al, 2011). When ultrasound is applied to a liquid phase, cavitation bubbles are generated in the rarefaction region.…”

Uso De Ultrassom Para a Produção De Biodiesel Em Modo Contínuo Utilizando Lipases

“…Na busca por novas técnicas que possam melhorar o rendimento de processos industriais, a tecnologia que emprega ultrassom vem se mostrando como uma alternativa promissora devido aos benefícios que pode promover, e à sua aplicabilidade em uma vasta gama de atividades (Kwiatkowska et al 2011). O processo de produção de biodiesel utilizando ultrassom vem como alternativa ao processo convencional de produção, uma vez que as cavitações (formação, aumento e implosão de bolhas no meio reacional) geradas pelo ultrassom aumentam a miscibilidade entre os reagentes, fornecem energia necessária para a reação, reduzem o tempo de reação e a quantidade de reagentes necessária e aumentam o rendimento e a seletividade da reação (Yu et al 2010).…”

Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste: Overview of Treatment Methodologies to Enhance Anaerobic Biodegradability

“…The physical impacts are created by the breakdown of cavitation air pockets, which thus delivers a lifted change in the chemical nature through the development of free radicals (Mason and Peters, 2002). These impacts may enhance anaerobic assimilation yields by physical crumbling and improvement of microbial pool (Kwiatowska et al, 2011), contingent upon the treatment conditions. It has been demonstrated that higher ultrasound power may denature the enzymes, while lesser ultrasound span brought better responses of the same enzymes (Yu et al, 2009).…”