Trielectrode plasma reactor for water treatment

Abstract

Water pollution due to emerging organic pollutants, such as agrochemicals, has become a topic of growing interest worldwide. The increase of pollutants in aquatic systems stimulated the development of new strategies for water remediation. Plasma technology is an advanced oxidation process which has proved to be an efficient method for organic matter degradation. In this work, a novel design of a trielectrode plasma reactor based on a dielectric barrier discharge extended to a third electrode operated in ambient air is presented. The water to be treated flows through a gutter with low impedance and far from the electrodes connected to the voltage sources. The reactor operates in ambient air, and it does not rely on the use of expensive inert gases. The design of the reactor is easily scalable. The performance of the reactor, in terms of the removal efficiency and the energy yield, was tested in an aqueous solution of the herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), one of the most widely used around the world. The reactor presents a good efficiency in the removal of the herbicide 2,4-D and values of energy yield of about 240 mg/kW h.