Submerged arc plasma system combined with ozone oxidation for the treatment of wastewater containing non-degradable organic compounds

Abstract

• Submerged arc plasma was introduced in terms of wastewater treatment.

• Ozone oxidation was coupled with submerged arc plasma system.

• Ozone was converted into O and O₂ by submerged arc plasma.

• Decomposition rate was accelerated by submerged arc plasma.

• Introduction of ozone led to significant increase in mineralization.

Submerged arc plasma technology was assessed for the removal of phenols from wastewater. The OH radicals generated from the boundary between the plasma and waste solution were considered as a significant factor on the degradation reaction. In this study, the effects of highly energetic electrons released from the submerged arc plasma were mainly studied. The highly energetic electrons directly broke the strong chemical bond and locally increased the reaction temperatures in solution. The effects of the submerged-arc plasma on the decomposition of phenol are discussed in terms of the input energy and initial concentration. The single use of submerged arc plasma easily decomposed the phenol but did not increase the mineralization efficiency. Therefore, the submerged arc plasma, coupled with the ozone injection, was investigated. The submerged arc plasma combined with ozone injection had a synergic effect, which led to significant improvements in mineralization with only a small increase in input energy. The decomposition mechanism of phenol by the submerged arc plasma with the ozone was analyzed.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Thermal plasma / Submerged arc plasma / Wastewater / Ozone / Phenol / Highly energetic electron

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