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Accelerating particle aggregation in acoustic levitation by collective effects: Application to cost-effective ultrasonic harvesting of microalgae

Ludovic Bellebon*

Michael Levant

Mauricio Hoyos and Jean-Luc Aider†

  • *Contact author: ludovic.bellebon@orange.fr
  • †Contact author: jean-luc.aider@espci.fr
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Phys. Rev. Applied 23, 014006 – Published 3 January, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevApplied.23.014006

Abstract

Acoustic aggregation of particles in acoustic levitation is a well-known phenomenon. However, it is well described only in the dilute regime, i.e., when particles do not interact with each other. In this study, we first demonstrate that the acoustic focusing speed can be significantly increased when one is dealing with particle aggregates. This result suggests that acoustic aggregation can be more efficient when one is dealing with relatively dense suspensions. This principle is successfully applied to suspensions of microalgae. It is shown that harvesting of microalgae can be accelerated without power increase with acoustically induced flocculation if the initial concentration is sufficiently high. This demonstrates that a cost-effective industrial process for acoustic harvesting of microalgae is possible.

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Phys. Rev. Applied 23, 014006– Published 3 January, 2025
  • Received 21 July 2024
  • Revised 1 November 2024
  • Accepted 26 November 2024
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