Many chemically active species such as ·H, ·OH, O3, H2O2, hydrated e-, as well as ultraviolet rays, are produced by Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) plasma in water and are widely use to remove non-biodegradable materials and deactivate microorganisms. As the plasma gas containing chemically active species that is generated from the plasma reaction has a short lifetime and low solubility in water, increasing the dissolution rate of this gas is an important challenge. To this end, the plasma gas and water within reactor were mixed using the air-automizing nozzle, and then, water-gas mixture was injected into water. The dissolving effect of plasma gas was indirectly confirmed by measuring the RNO (N-Dimethyl-4-nitrosoaniline, indicator of the formation of OH radical) solution. The plasma system consisted of an oxygen generator, a high-voltage power supply, a plasma generator and a liquid-gas mixing reactor. Experiments were conducted to examine the effects of location of air-automizing nozzle, flow rate of plasma gas, water circulation rate, and high-voltage on RNO degradation. The experimental results showed that the RNO removal efficiency of the air-automizing nozzle is 29.8% higher than the conventional diffuser. The nozzle position from water surface was not considered to be a major factor in the design and operation of the plasma reactor. The plasma gas flow rate and water circulation rate with the highest RNO removal rate were 3.5 L/min and 1.5 L/min, respectively. The ratio of the plasma gas flow rate to the water circulation rate for obtaining an RNO removal rate of over 95% was 1.67 ~ 4.00.

Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) plasma is a new technique for use in environmental pollutant degradation, which is characterized by the production of hydroxyl radicals as the primary degradation species. Due to the short lifetime of the chemically active species generated during the plasma reaction, the dissolution of the plasma gas has a significant effect on the reaction performance. The plasma reaction performance can be enhanced by combining the basic plasma reactor with a homogenizer system in which the bubbles are destroyed and turned into micro-bubbles. For this purpose, the improvement of the dissolution of plasma gas was evaluated by measuring the RNO (N-dimethyl-4-nitrosoaniline, an indicator of the generation of OH radicals). Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of the diameter, rotation speed, and height of the homogenizer, pore size, and number of the diffuser and the applied voltage on the plasma reaction. The results showed that the RNO removal efficiency of the plasma reactor combined with a homogenizer is two times higher than that of the conventional one. The optimum rotor size and rotation speed of the homogenizer were 15.1 mm, and 19,700 rpm, respectively. Except for the lowest pore size distribution of 10-16 μm, the pore size of the diffuser showed little effect on RNO removal.

For the field application of dielectric barrier discharge plasma reactor in nutrient solution culture, a filtration-DBD (dielectric barrier discharge) plasma reactor was investigated for the Ralstonia solanacearum which causes bacterial wilt in aquiculture. The filtration-DBD plasma reactor system of this study was consisted of filter, plasma reactor, reservoir. The DBD plasma reactor consisted of a quartz dielectric tube, discharge electrode (inner) and ground electrode (outer). The experimental results showed that the inactivation of R. solanacearum with filter media type in filter reactor ranked in the following order: anthracite > fiber ball > sand > ceramic ball > quartz ceramic. In filtration + plasma process, disinfection effect with the voltage was found to small. In disinfection time of 120 minutes, residual R. solanacearum concentration was 1.17 log (15 CFU/mL). When the continuous disinfection time was 120 minute, disinfection effect was thought to keep the four days. In sporadic operation mode of 30 minutes disinfection - 24 hours break, residual R. solanacearum concentration after five days was 0.3 log (2 CFU/ mL). It is considered that most of R. solanacearum has been inactivated substantially.

For the field application of dielectric barrier discharge plasma reactor, a multi-plasma reactor was investigated for the inactivation of microorganisms in sewage. We also considered the possibility of degradation of non-biodegradable matter (UV254) and total organic carbon (TOC) in sewage. The multi-plasma reactor in this study was divided into high voltage neon transformers, gas supply unit and three plasma modules (consist of discharge, ground electrode and quartz dielectric tube). The experimental results showed that the inactivation of microorganisms with treated water type ranked in the following order: distilled water > synthetic sewage effluent >> real sewage effluent. The dissolved various components in the real sewage effluent highly influenced the performance of the inactivation of microorganisms. After continuous plasma treatment for 10 min at 180 V, residual microorganisms appeared below 2 log and UV254 absorbance (showing a non-biodegradable substance in water) and TOC removal rate were 27.5% and 8.5%, respectively. Therefore, when the sewage effluent is treated with plasma, it can be expected the inactivation of microorganisms and additional improvement of water quality. It was observed that the NH4 +-N and PO4 3--P concentrations of sewage was kept at the constant plasma discharging for 30 min. On the other hand, NO3 --N concentration was increased with proceeding of the plasma discharge.

Effect of improvement of the dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma system on the inactivation performance of bacteria were investigated. The improvement of plasma reactor was performed by combination with the basic plasma reactor and UV process or combination with the basic plasma reactor and circulation system which was equipped with gas-liquid mixer. Experimental results showed that tailing effect was appeared after the exponential decrease in basic plasma reactor. There was no enhancement effect on the Ralstonia Solanacearum inactivation with combination of basic plasma process and UV process. The application of gas-liquid mixing device on the basic plasma reactor reduced inactivation time and led to complete sterilization. The effect existence of gas-liquid mixing device, voltage, air flow rate (1 ～ 5 L/min), water circulation rate (2.8 ～ 9.4 L/min) in gas—liquid mixing plasma, plasma voltage and UV power of gas—liquid mixing plasma+UV process were evaluated. The optimum air flow rate, water circulation rate, voltage of gas-liquid mixing system were 3 L/min, 3.5 L/min and 60 V, respectively. There was no enhancement effect on the Ralstonia Solanacearum inactivation with combination of gas-liquid mixing plasma and UV process.

This study carried out a laboratory scale plasma reactor about the characteristics of chemically oxidative species (․OH, H2O2 and O3) produced in dielectric barrier discharge plasma. It was studied the influence of various parameters such as gas type, 1st voltage, oxygen flow rate, electric conductivity and pH of solution for the generation of the oxidant. H2O2 and O3.) H2O2 and O3 was measured by direct assay using absorption spectrophotometry. OH radical was measured indirectly by measuring the degradation of the RNO (N-Dimethyl-4-nitrosoaniline, indicator of the generation of OH radical). The experimental results showed that the effect of influent gases on RNO degradation was ranked in the following order: oxygen > air >> argon. The optimum 1st voltage for RNO degradation were 90 V. As the increased of 1st voltage, generated H2O2 and O3 concentration were increased. The intensity of the UV light emitted from oxygen-plasma discharge was lower than that of the sun light. The generated hydrogen peroxide concentration and ozone concentration was not high. Therefore it is suggested that the main mechanism of oxidation of the oxygen-plasma process is OH radical. The conductivity of the solution did not affected the generation of oxidative species. The higher pH, the lower H2O2 and O3 generation were observed. However, RNO degradation was not varied with the change of the solution pH.

Ozone concentrations in water and air, and resulting disinfective properties, were measured following generation by either an ozone generator or a low-temperature dielectric barrier discharge plasma generator. In freshwater, ozone concentrations of 0.81 and 0.48 mg/L O3 were observed after the ozone and plasma generators had been operated for five minutes, respectively. Higher levels of dissolved O3 were attained more easily with the ozone generator. In seawater, both systems were capable of creating concentrations greater than 3.00 mg/L O3 after 5minutes of operation. Higher ozone levels were attained more easily in seawater than in freshwater. Rates of bacterial sterilization in seawater after three minutes were 96% and 88%, using the plasma and ozone generators, respectively. In freshwater, higher concentrations of ozone were released into the atmosphere by the ozone generator than by the plasma generator. In creating equivalent levels of dissolved ozone in freshwater, the plasma generator released 4.5 times more ozone into the atmosphere than did the ozone generator. This shows that ozone generators are more effective than plasma generators for creating ozonated water. For the same concentration of dissolved ozone in seawater, more ozone was released into the atmosphere using the ozone generator than using the plasma generator. Therefore, with regard to air pollution, plasma generators seem to be less expensive than ozone generators.

Dielectric discharges are an emerging technique in environmental pollutant degradation, which that are characterized by the production of hydroxyl radicals as the primary degradation species. For practical application of the plasma reactor, reactor that can handle large amounts of water are needed. Plasma research to date has focused on small-scale water treatment. This study was carried out basic study for scale-up of a single DBD (dielectric barrier discharge) plasma reactor. The degradation of N, N-Dimethyl-4-nitrosoaniline (RNO, indicator of the generation of OH radical) was used as a performance indicator of multi-plasma reactor. The experiments is divided into two parts: design parameters [effect of distance of single plasma module (1~14 cm), arrangement of ground electrode (single and multi), rector number (1~5) and power number (1~5)]; operation parameter [effect of applied voltage (60~220 V), air flow rate (1~5 L/min), electric conductivity of solution (1.4 μS/cm, deionized water)~18.8 mS/cm (addition of NaCl 10 g/L) and pH (5~9)]. Considering the electric stability of the plasma reactor, optimum spacing between the single plasma module was 2 cm. Multi discharge electrodes - single ground electrode array was selected. Combination of power 3-plasma module 5 was the optimal combination for maximum RNO degradation. The optimum 1st voltage and air flow rate for RNO degradation were 180 V and 4 L/min, respectively. The pH and conductivity of the solution was not influencing the RNO degradation.

We studied the ozone concentrations generated by low-temperature dielectric barrier discharge plasma reactor after adding air and phytoplankton to control the ozone concentrations in seawater. We also examined the numbers of bacteria and Vibrio spp. after treatment using the plasma reactor. As the airflow rate was increased, more ozone was removed. Although marked variation in the ozone decrease was observed with and without airflow, the rate of ozone removal did not increase proportionately with the airflow rates. The ozone concentration decreased with increasing organic matter and time. The amount of organic matter seems to be an important factor decreasing the dissolved ozone concentration in liquid. The ozone concentration was 0.07, 0.32, 1.28, and 2.3 mg/L when operating the plasma reactor for 30, 60, 180, and 300 s, respectively; i.e., the ozone concentration increased with the reactor operating time. The initial numbers of bacteria and Vibrio spp. were 800 and 480 CFU/mL, respectively. After operating the plasma reactor at a flow rate of 6 L/min for 30 s, no bacteria or Vibrio spp. were detected. The disinfection effect of this plasma reactor seems to be superior to that of a conventional ozone generator.

A dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma reactor was investigated for the inactivation of Ralstonia Solanacearum which causes bacterial wilt in aquiculture. The DBD plasma reactor of this study was divided into power supply unit, gas supply unit and plasma reactor. The plasma reactor consisted of a quartz dielectric tube, discharge electrode (inner) and ground electrode (outer). The experimental results showed that the optimum 1st voltage, 2nd voltage, air flow rate and pH were for 100 V (1st voltage), 15 kV (2nd voltage), 4 L/min, and pH 3, respectively. At a low 1st voltage, shoulder and tailing off phenomena was observed. The shoulder phenomenon was decreased as the increase of 1st voltage. R. Solanacearum disinfection in the lower air flow rate was showed shoulder and tailing off phenomenon because the active species generated less. Under optimum condition, shoulder and tailing off phenomenon was reduced. When the 2nd voltage was less than 7.5 kV, tailing off phenomenon was observed and this was not vanishes even though the increase of the disinfection time. The inactivation efficiency increased as the increase of air flow rate, however, the efficiency decreased when the air flow rate was above 4 L/min. R. Solanacearum disinfection at pH 3 showed somewhat higher than in pH 11. The pH effect of R. Solanacearum deactivation is less than the impact on other factor.

Non-thermal plasma processing using a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) has been investigated as an alternative method for the degradation of non-biodegradable organic compounds in wastewater. The active species such as OH radical, produced by the electrical discharge may play an important role in degrading organic compound in water. The degradation of N, N-Dimethyl-4-nitrosoaniline (RNO) was investigated as an indicator of the generation of OH radical. The DBD plasma reactor of this study consisted of a plasma reactor, recycling pump, power supply and reservoir. The effect of diameter of external reactor (15 ∼ 40 mm), width of ground electrode (2.5 ∼ 30 cm), shape (pipe, spring) and material (copper, stainless steel and titanium) of ground electrode, water circulation rate (3.1 ∼ 54.8 cm/s), air flow rate (0.5 ∼ 3.0 L/min) and ratio of packing material (0 ∼ 100 %) were evaluated. The experimental results showed that shape and materials of ground were not influenced the RNO degradation. Optimum diameter of external reactor, water circulation rate and air flow rate for RNO degradation were 30 mm, 25.4 cm/s and 4 L/min, respectively. Ground electrode length to get the maximum RNO degradation was 30 cm, which was same as reactor length. Filling up of glass beads decreased the RNO degradation. Among the experimented parameters, air flow rate was most important parameters which are influenced the decomposition of RNO.

A Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma is shown in the present investigation to be effective of phenol degradation in the aqueous solutions in batch reactor with continuous air bubbling. Removal of phenol and effects of various parameters on the removal efficiency in the aqueous solution with high-voltage streamer discharge plasma are studied. The effect of 1st voltage (80 ~ 220 V), air flow rate (3 ~ 7 L/min), pH (3 ~ 11), electric conductivity of solution (4.16 μS/cm, deionized water) ~ 16.57 mS/cm (addition of NaCl 10 g/L) and initial phenol concentration (2.5 ~ 20.0 mg/L) were investigated. The observed results showed that phenol degradation was higher in the basic solution than that of the acidic. The optimum values on the 1st voltage and air flow rate for phenol degradation were 140 V and 6 L/min, respectively. It was considered that absorbance variation of UV254 of phenol solution can be use as an indirect indicator of change of the non-biodegradable organic compounds within the treated phenol solution. Electric conductivity was not influenced the phenol degradation. To obtain the removal efficiency of phenol and COD of phenol over 97 % (initial phenol concentration, 10.0 mg/L), 80 min and 120 min were need, respectively. Phenol and COD degradation showed a pseudo-first order kinetics.

This study investigated the degradation of N, N-Dimethyl-4-nitrosoaniline (RNO, indicator of the generation of OH radical) by using dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma. The DBD plasma reactor of this study consisted of a quartz dielectric tube, titanium discharge (inner) and ground (outer) electrode. The effect of shape (rod, spring and pipe) of ground electrode, diameter (9 ～ 30 mm) of ground electrode of spring shape and inside diameter (4 ～ 13 mm) of quartz tube, electrode diameter (1 ～ 4 mm), electrode materials (SUS, Ti, iron, Cu and W), height difference of discharge and ground electrode (1 ～ 15.5 cm) and gas flow rate (1 ～ 7 L/min) were evaluated. The experimental results showed that shape of ground electrode and materials of ground and discharge electrode were not influenced the RNO degradation. The thinner the diameter of discharge and ground electrode, the higher RNO degradation rate observed. The effect of height gap of discharge between ground electrode on RNO degradation was not high within the experimented value. Among the experimented parameters, inside diameter of quartz tube and gas flow rate were most important parameters which are influenced the decomposition of RNO. Optimum inside diameter of quartz tube and gas flow rate were 7 mm and 4 L/min, respectively.