Destruction of Chemical and Biological Agents in Water by Hybrid Gas-Liquid High Voltage Electrical Discharge Reactors

Liquid-phase Pulsed Corona Discharge (PCD) in water has recently demonstrated the potential to be an inexpensive and energy efficient method for removing chemical and biological contaminants that threaten drinking water. PCD effectiveness originates fromthe multiple mechanisms present in the reactor including the production of reactive chemical species; strong UV radiation directly in the aqueous phase; and a shock wave from the strong applied electrical field pulse which may breakdown the cell membranethus inactivating viruses, bacteria, and other water borne microorganisms. These multiple mechanisms make it superior in decontamination to electron beam processes, ozonation, and other advance oxidation processes; and at a much lower cost and energyinput. The goals of the proposed work are to extend the existing batch studies of PCD to additional chemistries and biological agents; build prototype continuous flow reactor for drinking water systems and develop a theoretical reactor model to be used inscale up studies in a Phase II effort.The proposed effort is to be accomplished using patent pending technology, and by a team with a proven record for developing cost-effective continuous flow reactor systems for water treatment problems. The advanced oxidation system will also includeATR-IR detection equipment for real-time monitoring of key chemical fragments associated with harmful chemical. This detection approach is suitable for computer data acquisition and the process system control. If successful, this technology can be applied to small drinking water treatment systems for the safe drinking water. The technology is simple to operate with low operating costs.