An investigation of an underwater steam plasma discharge as alternative to air plasmas for water purification

An underwater steam plasma discharge, in which water itself is the ionizing media, is investigated as a means to introduce advanced oxidation species into contaminated water for the purpose of water purification. The steam discharge avoids the acidification observed with air discharges and also avoids the need for a feed gas, simplifying the system. Steam discharge operation did not result in a pH changes in the processing of water or simulated wastewater, with the actual pH remaining roughly constant during processing. Simulated wastewater has been shown to continue to decompose significantly after steam treatment, suggesting the presence of long-lived plasma produced radicals. During steam discharge operation, nitrate production is limited, and nitrite production was found to be below the detection threshold of (roughly 0.2 mg L⁻¹). The discharge was operated over a broad range of deposited power levels, ranging from approximately 30 W to 300 W. Hydrogen peroxide production was found to scale with increasing power. Additionally, the hydrogen peroxide production efficiency of the discharge was found to be higher than many of the rates reported in the literature to date. (paper)