Towards high throughput plasma based water purifiers: design considerations and the pathway towards practical application

Plasma-based water purification methods offer an alternative means to introduce advanced oxidation into liquid water. This approach drives a number of advanced oxidation processes simultaneously without the need for conventional consumables, making this approach potentially not only energy efficient but also cost effective. The chief barrier to implementing plasma-based methods for water purification is scale-up. This paper describes the scale-up problem, the current state of the art, and design considerations both from plasma science and engineering standpoints. The overall objective of this paper is to summarize key challenges to scale-up and implementation as well as elaborate on approaches to achieving a high throughput plasma-based water treatment system. Plasma dose delivery requirements for a given contaminant are estimated using basic rate equations. Two scale-up design approaches are also discussed along with performance data. The pathway from bench-top demonstration of plasma-based systems to piloting and ultimately reduction of the technology to practice are also elaborated upon.