Plasma processes for the treatment of water contaminated with harmful organic compounds

Abstract

Abstract The presence of organic contaminants in water raises considerable concern due to the negative impact on the environment, as well as to potential human exposure. In addition, scarcity of freshwater resources leads to serious consideration for water reuse by wastewater treatment. Non-thermal plasma treatment could address these problems by reducing water pollution. Highly reactive species generated in plasma in liquid or gas–liquid environment attack the pollutant molecules and degrade them. This paper reviews the literature results on the removal of pesticides in water by plasma treatment. The work is mainly focused on the attempts to improve the efficiency of the degradation process and on the mechanisms responsible for the degradation of pesticides belonging to various classes.