Ultrasonic extraction equipment (also called an ultrasonic extractor or ultrasonic extraction machine) uses high-intensity sound waves to disrupt plant, mushroom, or microbial cell walls and rapidly drive active compounds into a surrounding solvent. It is used to extract alkaloids, cannabinoids, terpenes, polyphenols, beta-glucans, recombinant proteins, algae oils, and many other bioactives from botanical and biological source materials.

An ultrasonic extractor generates acoustic cavitation — millions of microscopic bubbles that form and implode at the surface of biomass particles. The resulting micro-jets and shockwaves disrupt cell walls and dramatically increase the rate and yield of extraction. ISM’s ultrasonic extraction machines use patented Barbell Horn® Ultrasonic Technology (BHUT) to deliver the highest cavitation intensities available at any scale.

ISM ultrasonic extractors are compatible with a wide range of solvents including ethanol, water, methanol, hexane, supercritical CO₂ co-solvents, and food-grade alternatives. In many cases, harsh organic solvents can be replaced with greener, safer food-grade options like ethanol or water while still achieving superior extraction yields.

ISM ultrasonic extraction systems handle volumes from a few milliliters (lab/feasibility scale) to many hundreds of liters of biomass/solvent slurry (industrial production). Unlike most ultrasonic extractors confined to laboratory use, ISM’s systems maintain the same high amplitudes at every scale through ISM’s patented Barbell Horn® Ultrasonic Technology.

Three key differentiators: (1) ISM’s patented Barbell Horn® Ultrasonic Technology generates significantly higher ultrasonic amplitudes than conventional ultrasonic horns at all operational scales; (2) ISM’s flow cell design is free of narrow gaps and capillaries, eliminating clogging common in biomass slurry applications; (3) ISM offers an optional in-line high-shear mixing pump for slurries prone to settling — a feature not available from most competitors.