Pulsed electrical discharges in water for removal of organic pollutants: a comparative study

T.H. Dang (1) , A. Denat (1) , O. Lesaint (1) , G. Teissedre (1)

1 G2ELab - Laboratoire de Génie Electrique de Grenoble

In this study, the efficiency of different types of pulsed electrical discharges for the removal of organic pollutants from wastewater has been determined. Three discharge types, either in the water volume or in close proximity to the water surface are studied. The production of hydrogen peroxide in pure water, and the degradation of two typical pollutants (4-chlorophenol and 4-nitrophenol) is measured together with the amount of electrical energy dissipated in discharges. It is shown that the energy yield for the degradation of organic pollutants, expressed in terms of degraded moles per Joule, strongly depends on the discharge type. The highest efficiency is obtained with pulsed corona discharges in humid air above the water surface. A lower efficiency is found with spark discharges in water, and the less efficient process is constituted by streamer discharges in water. The influence of ferrous ions added to solutions is also very different according to the discharge type. This helps to get a better understanding of the degradation processes involved with the different discharge types.

Mots clés: Physical Sciences

Domaines: Energie électrique

T.H. Dang, A. Denat, O. Lesaint, G. Teissedre. Pulsed electrical discharges in water for removal of organic pollutants: a comparative study. European Physical Journal: Applied Physics, 2009, 47 (2), pp.1-7. ⟨10.1051/epjap/2009110⟩. ⟨hal-00489491⟩