Advanced Oxidation Process for Degradation of Aqueous Phenol in a Dielectric Barrier Discharge Reactor

Abstract

A novel dielectric barrier discharge reactor was developed for the oxidative degradation of organic pollutants in water. Phenol, chosen as a model compound, is efficiently removed from the aqueous solution according to an exponential decay as a function of treatment time at constant voltage. The effect of different experimental variables was investigated, including the active electrodes material and size and the flow rate of air above the solution. A few intermediates and CO 2 , the final product of phenol decomposition, were detected and identified by LC/ESI-MS and FT/IR analysis. The major reactive species formed upon application of the discharge in air, the OH radical and ozone, were determined by means of specific chemical probes.

Paracetamol degradation in aqueous solution by non-thermal plasma

“…These products have already been observed during paracetamol treatment performed by other AOPs [12,[15][16][17][18][19] and also in a process using NTP [3]. Moreover Marotta et al [20] already demonstrated the formation of carboxylic acids in their experiments concerning the treatment of phenol by a non-thermal plasma.…”

Characterization of plasma-induced phenol advanced oxidation process in a DBD reactor

“…We have previously [16] identified by means of HPLC analysis with UV-VIS and MS and MS n detectors a few organic byproducts including dihydroxybenzenes, muconic acids and maleic acid, which are known intermediates along the complex reaction scheme leading from phenol to CO 2 . Quantitation of these byproducts and search and analysis of other C-containing materials possibly formed in this process are underway in our laboratory.…”

“…We have recently developed a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor in which an oxidizing plasma is formed at room temperature and atmospheric pressure by discharges in the air above the water to be treated [16]. We have shown that phenol is efficiently decomposed in this reactor and that its decay is accompanied by release of CO 2 into the air above the treated solution.…”

“…There is currently much ongoing research to exploit and apply electrical discharges for water purification [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. Many different prototype reactors have been developed, including systems in which the discharge occurs into [2][3][4][5] or above the liquid [6][7][8][9], as well as hybrid reactors, which utilize both gas phase non-thermal plasma and direct liquid phase corona-like discharge in the water [10,11].…”

Degradation of pharmaceutical compounds in water by non-thermal plasma treatment

“…The formation of $OH radicals in watercontaining plasmas is evidenced by optical techniques (Bruggeman et al, 2009;Kanazawa et al, 2011) and chemical probe measurements (Kanazawa et al, 2011;Marotta et al, 2011). The major reaction channels for the production of $OH are discussed in detail in Bruggeman and Schram (2010).…”