Optimization of a gas–liquid plasma reactor for water treatment applications: Design guidelines and electrical circuit considerations
Chase Nau‐Hix, Thomas M. Holsen, Selma Mededovic Thagard
Abstract
Abstract To provide insights into the design, optimization, and scale up of plasma reactors for water treatment, the influences of discharge energy, grounded electrode size and position, and number of high voltage (HV) discharge points on the production of reactive species and the degradation of 1,4‐dioxane and perfluorooctanoic acid in a gas–liquid electrical discharge plasma reactor were assessed. Discharge energy and plasma area largely control the treatment effectiveness. Increasing the number of discharge points lowers the voltage in the reactor and consequently the production rates of reactive species. Bench‐scale findings apply directly to large volume systems, resulting in the highest contaminant removal rates using a single HV electrode and a grounded electrode spanning the entirety of the treatment zone.