Systems and methods for treating fluid media using nonthermal plasmas
OwnerSteven Bittensoninventor
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Abstract
Nonthermal plasma gas injection is applied in conjunction with other treatment means such as a precipitant, to effect chemical treatment of a liquid medium. The combined treatment performs one or more of chemically modifying a component of the medium, activating or enhancing the performance of a treatment material for the medium, and removing one or more chemical component from the medium. The nonthermal plasma can be applied directly in a liquid medium, in an aerosol of the medium, or to a treatment material in contact with or cycled into and out of the medium. Applications include removing contaminants including arsenic from drinking water.
Claims20
A system for removing a contaminant from an aqueous medium, the system comprising:
- a gas injector configured to electrically excite a gas and to inject the exited gas into the medium, the injected gas comprising a gaseous oxidant generated by the electrical excitation and having a persistence time in the gas of less than five seconds, the oxidant being operative to oxidize the contaminant from a first chemical state to a second chemical state;
- and
- a precipitating agent in contact with the medium, the precipitating agent having a capacity to remove the contaminant from the medium, the capacity being greater for the contaminant in the second state than in the first state.
A method for removing arsenic in a +3 oxidation state from an aqueous medium, the method comprising:
- oxidizing the arsenic from the +3 oxidation state to a +5 oxidation state by injecting a gaseous oxidant into the medium, the oxidant having a persistence time in the medium of less than five seconds;
- and
- precipitating the arsenic from the medium by contacting the medium with a precipitating agent having a greater capacity to precipitate arsenic present in the +5 oxidation state, than its capacity to precipitate arsenic present in the +3 oxidation state.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.