Sonochemistry: current uses and future prospects in the chemical and processing industries

Over the last few years, a large number of chemists and engineers working in synthesis and processing have developed an interest in sonochemistry: the applications of power ultrasound in chemistry. Scientific papers reporting the remarkable results obtained using sonochemistry are plentiful and yet the subject still does not seem to be accepted generally within the chemical community. There are two factors that contribute to this. One is a general resistance to the idea that sound energy can be used as a driving force for chemical transformations. The second relates to what appears to be a lack of equipment for scale-up. Many commercially important projects that involve sonochemistry are not within the strict confines of chemistry itself and can be found in processing technologies. In this article several current applications of power ultrasound in both chemistry and processing will be explored with a view to assessing the future for sonochemistry itself.