Patent ID: 6695953
Filing Date: 2004-02-24
Classification: C02F

Abstract:
A non-thermal plasma method for oxidizing an organic contaminant in an aqueous medium, said non-thermal plasma method comprising:applying a pulsed streamer corona discharge to an aqueous medium containing an effective amount of suitable particles for increasing the breakdown voltage of the pulsed streamer corona discharge to accelerate the rate at which H2O2 is generated in the aqueous medium; generating at an accelerated rate a sufficient quantity of hydroxyl radicals from the H2O2 in the aqueous medium, as compared to the rate at which hydroxyl radicals are generated in a similar aqueous medium which is similarly treated with a pulsed streamer corona discharge, but which is free of the particles; and oxidizing the organic contaminant in the aqueous medium by reacting the hydroxyl radicals with the organic contaminant in the aqueous medium.