Application of pulsed power system for water treatment of the leachate

This paper deals with the water treatment of the leachate from sewage filled ground by a pulsed power technology. Leachate from sewage filled ground should be treated below regulation level of COD in order to prevent environmental pollution and usually treated by a chemical method. Among the pollutants mixed in the leachate, chemical compounds of benzene series are known to be difficult to break down, and need to use high cost treat methods. The treatment of the benzene compounds by high power pulsed power supply was studied. For the high-rate, cost-effective treatment of leachate, pulsed power supply should have high repetition rates and require switching devices of long lifetime. In order to meet the above demands, pulsed power generator based on semiconductor switches using IGBTs as primary switches were developed. The experimental results verified that benzene compounds can be treated effectively by high voltage electric pulses, and this fact indicates that the treatment method by pulsed power source is a promising substitute.