Plasma chemical degradation of phosphorous-containing warfare agents simulants

The gliding electric discharge (or "glidarc") technique is a new advanced oxidation process used for the degradation of organic solutes or spent solvents. Discharges in humid air at atmospheric pressure produce active species (i.e., .OH and .NO) that are able to oxidize organic target up to carbon oxides and water. Aqueous solutions of triethylphosphate (TEP), a warfare agent simulant, are exposed to a glidarc in humid air to evaluate the solute stability under the impinging flux of active species. TEP was degraded and the overall zero order kinetic rate (k(0)=3.4 x 10(-4)mol h(-1)) was compared with that of previously considered tributylphosphate. The total degradation of TEP is monitored by the formation of H(3)PO(4) as the ultimate oxidation product of phosphorus by total organic carbon measurements. Extra investigation was performed on dimethylmethylphosphonate to examine the potential influence of the molecule symmetry on the degradation rate.