(166c) Use of Pulsed Corona Discharge Reactors (Pcdr): Results for Protein Degradation in Aqueous Phase

The success of the application of High Oxidation Methods in controlling pollutants in water effluents have been shown in an extensive series of efforts starting with the somewhat pioneering work by Sharma et. al. [5] and Joshi et al [8] in the elimination of phenol from aqueous solutions under a variety of conditions. Other work that follows up focused on the refinement and optimization of the technique [12, 13, etc]. This line of work, however, does not include the possible application of the technique to other compounds that are usually present in water effluents. One of these is proteins which are present at different levels in such effluents. The present contribution is an analysis of the potential useful benefit of using cold plasma techniques to the elimination of such compounds. This research will present experimental results under a variety of conditions such as variation of pH, voltage, conductivity, the addition of enhancers such us oxygen and iron using two different electrical discharges regimes (streamer and spark regimes). The reactor used in this investigation is a batch-type with two types of electrode configuration, i.e. the point to plate and the point to point. The results will be used to delineate the next step in the research effort regarding a more fundamental understanding of the role of the kinetics and other aspects.

Acknowledgements: The partial support and interest of Scientific Utilization, Inc., Huntsville, AL. and the Center for the Management Utilization and Protection of Water Resources, Tennessee Technological University, in this research effort is greatly appreciated.

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