Effect of Ultrasonic Intensity on the Degradation of Phenol Solution

Effect of ultrasonic intensity on the degradation of phenol solution is investigated by changing the nominal ultrasonic power, ultrasonic frequency and the position of reactor. The actual ultrasonic intensity (I) that reaches reactor is measured by ultrasonic power measuring meter. It can be found that the ultrasonic intensity varies with ultrasonic parameters. With the nominal power input improving from 60 W to 150 W, the ultrasonic intensity rises from 0.21 W•cm-2 to 1.06 W•cm-2 and the degradation rate of phenol solution (η) increases from 21.7% to 43.7%. However, when I reaches the highest value of 1.71 W•cm-2 at the frequency of 100 kHz, η decreases to the lowest value of 21.5%. The ultrasonic intensity distribution is uneven in the ultrasonic bath and η increases with an increase of I in the vertical direction. The ultrasonic degradation of phenol solution is affected by ultrasonic intensity, but η doesn’t definitely increase with an increase of ultrasonic intensity.