49 views | Created 2024.12.16 | Modified 2024.12.16 | Public Relations Team

·         Professor Jang Min’s Research Team (Department of Environmental Engineering) Develops a Cost-Effective and Efficient Industrial Wastewater Treatment Process

- Published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials (JCR IF: 12.2, JCR Percentile: 96.6%) -

 [Nur Haslina (First Author), Jong Choeun (Research Professor, Co-Corresponding Author), Professor Jang Min (Corresponding Author)]

Professor Jang Min's research team (Department of Environmental Engineering), led by PhD candidate Nur Haslina Abd Rahman (First Author), collaborated with Renisha Balayavitil Basir, Dr. Yoon So-Yeon, Research Professor Jong Choeun (Co-Corresponding Author), Professor Yoon Yeo-Min of Ewha Womans University, Dr. Hong Young-Jun (PBRC), Professor Choi Eun-Ha (Director of PBRC), and Professor Jang Min (Corresponding Author, Deputy Director of PBRC, and Director of JENTL) to develop a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma-persulfate process (P-PDS) for efficient and cost-effective industrial wastewater treatment.

This process demonstrated exceptional performance in effectively removing total organic carbon (TOC) from industrial wastewater in paper mills. Currently, the analysis parameter for effluents from wastewater and public sewage treatment facilities has shifted from chemical oxygen demand (COD) to total organic carbon (TOC) since 2021, due to the risks posed by organic substances containing trace organic pollutants.

DBD plasma generates various reactive species, such as e-, O3,·OH, 1O2, and ·O2-, enabling the activation of different types of persulfates without the need for catalysts. This can simplify wastewater treatment processes by facilitating advanced oxidation reactions. This study demonstrated that the P-PDS process effectively reduces the TOC in industrial paper mill wastewater to below the clean area standard (15 mg/L) within a short period, highlighting its potential for large-scale applications in the future. The persulfate activation mechanism of the process was elucidated through ROS quenching experiments and electron spin resonance (ESR) analysis. When persulfate was added to the plasma, the TOC removal rate constant increased by 1.7 to 3 times. The synergy factor (SF) of the combined P-PDS process was 3.14, significantly higher than that of the conventional ozone process (SF = 2.55), demonstrating superior synergistic effects. This indicates that the low energy consumption of plasma and the use of cost-effective oxidants can substantially reduce wastewater treatment costs. During the operation of the P-PDS process, the electric field generated by the plasma produced high concentrations of sulfate radicals (SO4·-) and hydroxyl radicals (·OH), which exhibited higher TOC removal efficiency compared to the P-PMS process. In continuous flow tests, the P-PDS process demonstrated high effectiveness and stability in water treatment by achieving a 94.5% TOC removal efficiency over 8 hours when treating real paper mill wastewater, operating with a PDS concentration of 10 mM and a residence time of 90 minutes.

 [DBD Plasma-Persulfate Continuous Process and Treatment Mechanism]

This study was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) and the Ministry of Environment through the "Development of Ground Environmental Pollution and Hazard Management Technology Program."

 (2021R1A6A1A03038785,023R1A2C1003464,RS-2023-00240726, RS-2023-00215807).

The results of this study were published online on December 11, 2024, in the Journal of Hazardous Materials (IF: 12.2, JCR 96.6%) under the title, "Enhanced TOC removal from paper mill wastewater using air dielectric barrier discharge plasma with persulfate sources: Mechanistic insights and continuous flow operation performance evaluation."

Weblink:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304389424034344?via=ihub

Lab Website: www.jentl.net