Cavitation: A technology on the horizon

An overview of the application of cavitation phenomenon for the intensification of chemical/physical processing applications has been presented here, discussing the causes for the observed enhancement and highlighting some of the typical examples. The important considerations required for efficient scale-up of the cavitational reactors and subsequent industrial applications have been depicted based on the work carried out as a result of sponsored project at the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai. Overall, it appears that the combined efforts of physicists, chemists and chemical engineers are required to effectively use cavitational reactors for industrial applications. Some recommendations for further work to be carried out in this area have also been mentioned, which should allow the exploitation of this technology on an industrial scale.