Functionalization of Mist Pipe Flow and Decomposition Characteristics of Organic Compounds in Water Using Dielectric Barrier Discharge

Abstract

World has been faced with serious problems of water pollution. Recently, conventional chemical treatment has been replaced by a water treatment system using plasma. In this study, a method for decomposing organic compound by spraying solution directly as mist into reactive plasma was investigated using a newly developed mist-flow plasma reactor. The plasma reactor is a tube made of Teflon with a thickness of 0.5 mm and has an inner mesh electrode made of stainless and an outer grounded electrode made of copper. Non-thermal plasma is generated by dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) at the inner wall of a tube. An atomized solution including micro-sized droplets was introduced into the plasma reactor and was treated by ozone, free radicals and ultraviolet rays. Dissolved chemical species such as H₂O₂, reactive oxidation species and O₃ are measured as liquid properties. The decomposition characteristics of this method were experimentally clarified through decolorization of methylene blue solution. The methylene blue solution is about 100 % decomposed by only one treatment under certain operating conditions. In addition, a water treatment method using aerosol plasma is compared with a activated air microbubble jet treatment.