Publications

Selected publication  

Kooshki S., Pareek P., Janda M., Machala Z.: Selective reactive oxygen and nitrogen species production in plasma-activated water via dielectric barrier discharge reactor: An innovative method for tuning and its impact on dye degradation, Journal of Water Process Engineering 63, 105477 (2024).
citations: 4  

Abstract

Water treated by non-thermal gas plasma shows a great potential across various applications, e.g. in wastewater
cleaning, agriculture, and bio-medicine. Maximizing the plasma water treatment efficacy requires precise control
over reactive oxygen/nitrogen species (RONS) concentrations. This study emphasizes the importance of tuning
the plasma system for selective production of RONS in water, for both higher operational efficacy and better
economic efficiency in dye wastewater treatment. We propose an innovative approach for tuning RONS. In
particular, ceramic electrode (Ce) and higher reactor temperatures result in a higher hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)
production in PAW, up to 16 mg.l−1 within 30 min, and minimal nitrite production. Conversely, copper electrode
with water-cooling system (Cuw) result in higher nitrite concentrations, up to 80 mg.l−1 within the same
treatment time, but negligible H2O2 production. Selective RONS production significantly affects methylene blue
dye degradation. Ce setup yields an efficient dye degradation (1.04 g.kWh−1), while Cuw setup proves inefficient
and synthesizes additional by-products in water by nitration mechanism. Finally, a total cost estimation analysis
showed that potentially scaled-up plasma technology operates at low energy costs if compared with advanced
oxidation processes. Selective RONS production for the dye degradation can lead to almost 30 % reduction in the
total costs.