Activation of peroxydisulfate by gas–liquid pulsed discharge plasma to enhance the degradation of p-nitrophenol

Pulsed discharge in water and over water surfaces generates ultraviolet radiation, local high temperature, shock waves, and chemical reactive species, including hydroxyl radicals, hydrogen peroxide, and ozone. Pulsed discharge plasma (PDP) can oxidize and mineralize pollutants very efficiently, but high energy consumption restricts its application for industrial wastewater treatment. A novel method for improving the energy efficiency of wastewater treatment by PDP was proposed, in which peroxydisulfate (PDS) was added to wastewater and PDS was activated by PDP to produce more strong oxidizing radicals, including sulfate radicals and hydroxyl radicals, leading to a higher oxidation capacity for the PDP system. The experimental results show that the increase in solution conductivity slightly decreased the discharge power of the pulse discharge over the water surface. An increase in the discharge intensity improved the activation of PDS and therefore the degradation efficiency and energy efficiency of p-nitrophenol (PNP). An increase in the addition dosage of PDS greatly facilitated the degradation of PNP at a molar ratio of PDS to PNP of lower than 80:1, but the performance enhancement was no longer obvious at a dosage of more than 80:1. Under an applied voltage of 20 kV and a gas discharge gap of 2 mm, the degradation efficiency and energy efficiency of the PNP reached 90.7% and 45.0 mg kWh⁻¹ for the plasma/PDS system, respectively, which was 34% and 18.0 mg kWh⁻¹ higher than for the discharge plasma treatment alone. Analysis of the physical and chemical effects indicated that ozone and hydrogen peroxide were important for PNP degradation and UV irradiation and heat from the discharge plasma might be the main physical effects for the activation of PDS.