Design, development and characterization of atmospheric plasma system for wastewater treatment

Institute of Physics, Belgrade, Serbia

1. Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, Belgrade, Serbia

2. University of Girona, Spain

Atmospheric pressure (AP) non-equilibrium plasma sources provide a chemically rich environment allowing various reactions between species at ambient temperature. Such plasma could be optimised and used as efficient tool for treatment of wastewaters with an ability to adjust the plasma produced mixture of reactive species to a variety of treatment objectives. In order to make an optimized device for water treatment two phases will be engaged: (i) design of an AP plasma source, including choice of the source type and electrode geometry and appropriate power input, and (ii) diagnostics of plasma properties produced by the device running in the realistic environment. The survey on the source type will help to construct the device which will be relatively technically simple and reliable and, at the same time, able to produce the plasma environment to be applied to treatment of liquids. The choice of power input is closely connected to the plasma source type, as well as, operational requirements regarding the plasma treatment. After technical development of the AP source, complete characterisation of plasma operating with different parameter settings will be performed by using different measurement techniques (electrical measurements of plasma power, mass spectrometry will measure densities of neutral and charged species, while optical measurements will deliver data on emission coming from the plasma). The last two techniques will gain detailed insight into the plasma chemistry which will consequently allow identifying crucial reactions involved in decomposition of water OMPs (chosen between the most common groups of pesticides, insecticides and pharmaceuticals). The analytical techniques will be complemented by an experimental plan including a selected choice of organic and inorganic matrix components influencing the propagation and lifetime of reactive species in the liquid environment. Optimisation of the device will be performed in order to achieve plasma conditions for efficient wastewater treatment for different types of OMPs.

Catalan Institute for water Research (ICRA), Girona, Spain – 10 months