Application of dielectric barrier discharge reactor immersed in wastewater to the oxidative degradation of organic contaminant

Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) is an effective method available for the production of ozone and ultraviolet light. The wastewater treatment system of this study was designed to utilize both ozone and ultraviolet light produced in the DBD reactor for the degradation of organic contaminant. The DBD reactor consisted of a quartz cylinder and a coaxial ceramic tube inside of which a steel rod was placed. The DBD reactor was immersed in the wastewater that was grounded. In this case, the wastewater acted not only as an electrode but also as the cooling medium for the DBD reactor. An azo dye, Acid Red 27, was used as the organic contaminant. In this system, the organic contaminant was degraded by two oxidation pathways induced by ozone and ultraviolet light. The concentration of ozone, the ultraviolet radiation intensity and the degradation efficiency of the organic contaminant were measured by varying the discharge. The results showed that the present system was very effective for the degradation of the organic contaminant. The energy requirement for the degradation was found to be 0.654 kJ/mg, which is much smaller value than those obtained with an ultraviolet/photocatalytic process.