Simulation and Experimental Study for Degradation of Organic Dyes Using Dual pin‐to‐plate Corona Discharge Plasma reactors for Industrial Wastewater Treatment
Authors: EL‐Tayeb A. , EL‐Shazly A.H. , Elkady M.F. , Abdel‐Rahman A. 
Published: May 2016

This work researches the possibility of increasing the dye removal efficiency from wastewater using nonthermal plasma. A study for the optimal air gap distance between dual pin and surface of Acid Blue 25 dye solution and thickness of ground plate is carried out using 3D‐EM simulator to find maximum electric field intensity at the tip of both pins. The consequences display that the best gap for corona discharge is approximately 5 mm using 15 kV source. In addition, the optimum plate thickness is 0.1 mm. These distance and thickness were mentioned are constant during the study of other factors. Dual pin‐to‐plate high‐voltage corona discharge plasma system is presented to investigation experimentally the gap distance, thickness of ground plate, initial dye concentration, pH solution and conductivity on the amount of Acid Blue 25 dye color removal efficiency from wastewater. There is a large consensus among the simulation and experimental work in the air gap and thickness of ground plate. Where the decolorization for air gap 5 mm is 95.74 at time 35 min compared with 91% and 17% for 1 mm and 20 mm gap distance respectively. Also, the discharge energy at each air gap are calculated. Measurement results for the impact of thickness of an Aluminum ground plate on color removal competence showed color removal efficiencies of 86.3%, 90.78% and 98.06%, after treatment time 15 min for thicknesses of 2, 0.5 and 0.1 mm respectively. The decolorization behavior utilizing dual pin‐to‐plate corona discharge plasma system display 82% pigment evacuation proficiency inside 11min. The complete decolorization was accomplished within 28min for distinctive examined introductory color focuses 5 ppm up to 100 ppm. Likewise, the impacts of conductivity by utilizing diverse salts as AlCl3, CaCl2, KCl and NaCl and with distinctive focuses have been explored. The rising of the solution conductivity leads to the reduction of decolorization efficiency. The decolorization efficiency and discharge energy are calculated at different concentration molarity for AlCl3, CaCl2, KCl and NaCl. It was observed that the presence of salts at the same concentration level substantially decreased the rate and the extent of decolorization. The results indicate that the optimum pH for the decolorization of Acid Blue 25 dye is in the range between 3 and 6. Furthermore the conductivity and discharge energy were measurement at each value of pH. Energy yield for decolorization and Electrical Energy per Order (EE/O) under different initial pH value were calculated. A kinetic model is used to define the performance of corona discharge system under different value of pH. The model of pseudo ‐zero, pseudo‐first order, and pseudo‐second order reactions kinetic are utilized to investigate the decolorization of Acid Blue 25 dye. The rate of degradation of Acid Blue 25 dye follows the pseudo‐first order kinetics in the dye concentration. Energy consumption requirements for decolorization was considered. The outcomes will be useful for designing the plasma treatment systems suitable for industrial wastewaters. (© 2016 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)