Degradation of Bacteria Using Pulse Plasma Discharge in Liquid Medium

The paper reports on the study of an underwater electrical pulse plasma discharge operating under relatively low discharge voltages (below 1 kV) and its utilization for degradation of bacteria contained in the liquid medium. For this purpose, a system based on wire-to-wire electrode configuration was designed. Results show the ability of the system to generate active species, observed by optical emission spectroscopy and also revealed from the change in pH of treated solution. Effective generation of these species then results in a relatively fast decomposition rate of tested organic dyes. Consequent treatment process with two types of bacteria also exhibits positive results showing successful and very fast decrease in bacteria population