OSU researcher hopes ultrasound can destroy pharmaceuticals, compounds we flush into rivers and lakes
Every time we flush the toilet, some of the compounds and medicines we take every day end up in our streams, rivers and lakes.
These “emerging contaminants” include antibiotics, birth-control drugs, antidepressants and caffeine.
As scientists better understand the threat these pollutants pose to wildlife and people, Ohio State University researchers are developing a method to destroy them before they cause harm.
A process that fires high-frequency sound waves through water holds great promise, said Linda Weavers, an OSU environmental engineer.
The idea is based on a similar technique she helped develop that uses ultrasound to clean mercury from lake and stream bottoms. “It works reasonably fast,” Weavers said. “You flip a switch, it works, and you don’t have to use a lot of chemicals.”
For years, environmental studies have detected a host of drugs, chemicals and compounds in waterways across the United States.