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Development of pilot-scale plasma bubble reactors for efficient antibiotics removal in wastewater
Sitao Wang1, Zhijie Liu1, Xin Li1
1State Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Power Equipment, Centre for Plasma Biomedicine, School of Electrical Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710049, People's Republic of China.
Environmental Research
|November 9, 2024
Summary
Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma bubbles effectively degrade antibiotics in wastewater. This study optimized DBD reactor design for efficient removal of norfloxacin and tetracycline, paving the way for industrial applications.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Chemical Engineering
- Plasma Physics
Background:
- Antibiotic wastewater pollution poses a significant environmental threat.
- Industrial-scale implementation of plasma bubble (PB) technology for wastewater treatment is underdeveloped.
- The impact of different PB discharge modes on wastewater treatment efficacy is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the degradation of norfloxacin (NOR) and tetracycline (TC) using pilot-scale PB reactors with varying discharge modes.
- To compare the effectiveness of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) and spark discharge modes for antibiotic removal.
- To assess the scalability of PB technology for treating larger volumes of antibiotic-contaminated water.
Main Methods:
- Design and implementation of pilot-scale PB reactors utilizing different discharge modes (DBD and spark).
- Treatment of bulk tap water spiked with norfloxacin and tetracycline.
- Analysis of degradation efficiency, ozone (O3(g)), and aqueous superoxide radical (•O2-(aq)) production.
- Development and testing of a larger-scale reactor array (four DBD reactors) for treating 8 L of mixed antibiotic solution.
Main Results:
- The DBD mode, particularly at low average discharge power, showed superior degradation of NOR and TC compared to the spark mode.
- The Double DBD reactor achieved 97.4% NOR and 100% TC removal within 40 minutes from 2 L of tap water.
- High production of O3(g) and •O2-(aq) in the DBD mode contributed to efficient antibiotic degradation.
- A scaled-up array of four DBD reactors successfully degraded 8 L of mixed antibiotic solution.
Conclusions:
- Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma bubble reactors are highly effective for removing antibiotics like norfloxacin and tetracycline from wastewater.
- Optimized DBD reactor design and operating conditions enhance the generation of reactive oxygen species, leading to superior degradation performance.
- The developed PB technology demonstrates scalability and offers a promising solution for industrial-scale antibiotic wastewater treatment.
