Research

Microwave Plasma for Water Purification Resonates in Southern Europe

Prof. María C. Garcia, of the Universidad de Córdoba (Spain) and international MIPSE member, and her colleagues Prof. Francisco J. Romero-Salguero and Dr. Juan Amaro-Gahete, have received wide European coverage on their recent advancement on microwave plasma water treatment. They recently reported in Chemosphere on a modified design of a surfatron-based reactor to improve microwave-plasma-assisted generation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) and degradation of organic compounds in water, a topic that resonates in Southern Europe. Water scarcity issues, both due to the drought affecting several regions of Spain and the contamination of wells and water reservoirs because of agricultural activity, urgently require new methods for water purification.

A modified design of a surfatron-based reactor was utilized to sustain a microwave (2.45 GHz) argon plasmas jet. The inclusion of a thin silicon piece inside the dielectric tube in which the discharge is formed altered the electric field configuration, leading to a plasma with higher gas temperature and electron density. This modification prevented plasma filamentation and facilitated the introduction of moderate amounts of water into the discharge that aids in RONS formation. Compared to the conventional surfatron setup, the new design significantly improved peroxide and nitrate production in deionized water and enhanced the degradation of methylene blue in aqueous solutions. The study highlights the relevance of ·OH species from sample evaporation.

Citation: Juan Amaro-Gahete, Francisco J. Romero-Salguero, María C. Garcia, “Modified surfatron device to improve microwave-plasma-assisted generation of RONS and methylene blue degradation in water” Chemosphere 349, 140820 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.140820

Links to popular press reports (in Spanish):

• Un chorro de plasma descontamina mejor el agua gracias a un nuevo diseño, Universidad de Córdoba
• Un chorro de plasma descontamina mejor el agua gracias a un nuevo diseño, COPE
• Un chorro de plasma descontamina mejor el agua gracias a un nuevo diseño, Agencia iberoamericana para la difusión de la ciencia y la tecnología
• Investigadores de la Universidad de Córdoba diseñan un reactor de plasma que descontamina el agua, Atresmedia
• Descontaminar el agua con un chorro de plasma: la idea de unos investigadores de la Universidad de Córdoba, El Español

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