Plasma-enabled liquid filtration and decontamination
Apparatus and method for decontaminating both contaminated waters and sorbent filter media, either separately or simultaneously, in a single system. Contaminants in a liquid flowing through a reaction chamber are removed by first generating a plasma within the liquid in the chamber, with the contaminants being broken into smaller particles at the interfaces between the generated plasma and the liquid. The combined plasma-liquid solution is then passed through a solid filter, which captures the smaller contaminant particles to decontaminate the liquid. To decontaminate the filter media, plasma flows through the filter material without the presence of liquid, the plasma reacting with the filter material to remove contaminants previously adsorbed by the filter.
1 . An apparatus for decontamination of a liquid, comprising:
a reaction chamber having a first end and a second end opposite the first end, said reaction chamber comprising an inlet at the first end, an outlet at the second end, and a filter proximate to the second end;
a hollow tube electrode and a solid electrode, each of the hollow tube and solid electrodes extending into the reaction chamber, a portion of each of the hollow tube electrode and the solid electrode being submerged within a liquid flowing through the reaction chamber; a power supply connected to the hollow tube electrode and to the solid electrode; and
wherein a gas is introduced into the reaction chamber at the first end via the hollow tube electrode, the gas contacting both the hollow tube electrode and the liquid, a plasma volume being generated from the gas when a voltage from the power supply is applied across the hollow tube electrode and the solid electrode;
wherein the liquid surrounds the plasma volume as it flows through the inlet of the reaction chamber to the outlet, the plasma causing parent species contaminant molecules in the liquid to break apart into daughter products comprising smaller molecular fragments as it contacts the liquid;
wherein the liquid then passes through the filter situated between the plasma volume and the outlet from the reaction chamber; and
wherein the parent species and daughter products in the liquid are adsorbed by the filter before the liquid is output from the reaction chamber via the outlet.
2 . The decontamination apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the hollow tube electrode is situated at the first end of the reaction chamber and the solid electrode is situated at the second end of the reaction chamber.
3 . The decontamination apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the hollow tube electrode is connected to a positive voltage lead from the power supply and the solid electrode is connected to a negative voltage lead from the power supply.
4 . The decontamination apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said filter comprises filter material,
wherein the electrodes have ends that are planar disks with holes that allow liquid and gas, but not the filter material, to pass through the electrodes such that when power is applied to the electrodes, a plasma is generated in and around the filter material, exposing the liquid to the plasma while the liquid is flowing through the filter material.
5 . The decontamination apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein both the hollow tube electrode and the solid electrode are situated at the first end of the reaction chamber, the plasma being generated between the hollow tube electrode and the solid electrode.
6 . The decontamination apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the gas comprises helium (He), xenon (Xe), argon (Ar), neon (Ne), or mixtures thereof.
7 . The decontamination apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the gas comprises oxygen (O 2 ), nitrogen (N 2 ), air, or mixtures thereof.
8 . The decontamination apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the filter comprises granular activated carbon (GAC), ion exchange (IX) resins, or polymer fibers.