Water Purification by Using Microplasma Treatment

Abstract

Dielectric barrier discharge microplasma generated at the surface of water is proposed as a solution for water treatment. It is an economical and an ecological technology for water treatment due to its generation at atmospheric pressure and low discharge voltage. Microplasma electrodes were placed at small distance above the water thus active species and radicals were flown by the gas towards the water surface and furthermore reacted with the target to be decomposed. Indigo carmine was chosen as the target to be decomposed by the effect of active species and radicals generated between the electrodes. Air, oxygen, nitrogen and argon were used as discharge gases. Measurement of absorbance showed the decomposition of indigo carmine by microplasma treatment. Active species and radicals of oxygen origin so called ROS (reactive oxidative species) were considered to be the main factor in indigo carmine decomposition. The decomposition rate increased with the increase of the treatment time as shown by the spectrophotometer analysis. Discharge voltage also influenced the decomposition process.