抄録
Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) is widely used for industrial and commercial products such as foam fire extinguishers and coating agents for semiconductors because of its chemical stability and physical characteristics. However, PFOS is remarkably stable and remains in the environment. Moreover, PFOS cannot be decomposed by conventional methods such as an advanced oxidation process (AOP) that involves the use of hydroxyl radicals. In this study, a reactor for generating 21 plasmas was developed to decompose PFOS rapidly and efficiently. By using the plasma treatment, 96% of PFOS in a 1-L solution was successfully decomposed in 1200 min. By using a capacitor as the ballast element, the reactor circuit efficiency became 32% (conventional) to 95% by reducing the power loss of the ballast element. Furthermore, the decomposition reaction process of PFOS by plasma was quantitatively clarified with a simulation model of the PFOS decomposition system using the plasmas.
