Degradation of Phenol in Water with Suspended TiO2 by Pulsed Streamer Discharge

Degradation of phenol by streamer corona plasma in aqueous solution with suspended TiO₂ was conducted. The experimental results present that the addition amount, the crystal size and structure of TiO₂ influenced the phenol degradation. In this paper phenol degradation increased with the addition amount of TiO₂ in the range of 0-0.4 g/L; the highest degradation rate of phenol was obtained when Degussa P25 (75% anatase and 25% rutile) was used rather than A30 and A50 (anatase); 95% of phenol could be degraded in 60min, and the corresponding removal rate of TOC reached 38.6%. Compared with the phenol decomposition by pulse streamer discharge without TiO₂ in aqueous solution, suspended TiO₂ in solution could enhance phenol degradation by nearly 10%. The result indicates that synergistic effect existed between streamer corona and photocatalyst in the process of phenol degradation.