Research

Physical Sciences

Title :

Degradation of organic pollutants (synthetic dyes) using non-thermal atmospheric pressure (transient spark discharge) plasma

Area of research :

Physical Sciences

Principal Investigator :

Dr. Mangilal Choudhary, University Of Delhi

Timeline Start Year :

2024

Timeline End Year :

2026

Contact info :

Equipments :

Details

Executive Summary :

Textile industries in India discharge highly colored water effluents with synthetic dye content in the range of 10-200 mg/L, causing significant problems for living things. Researchers are focusing on decomposing toxic dyes in industrial wastewater to reduce environmental effects. Physical-chemical and biological methods are used to remove organic compounds or dyes, but biodegradation depends on the toxic level of the dye solution and works below a threshold concentration. To overcome these limitations, eco-friendly techniques are needed in combination with existing wastewater techniques. Advanced oxidation processes are considered one of the most effective emerging techniques for treating industrial wastewater containing organic pollutants. Low-temperature plasma technology, an advanced oxidation technique, has been investigated for degrading organic compounds. By interacting with atmospheric air plasma and wastewater, active oxidants such as oxygen radicals, hydroxyl radicals, hydrogen peroxide, and ozone are produced, contributing significantly to the degradation of organic contaminants in industrial wastewater. To scale up plasma technology at the industrial level, a detailed study of dye degradation in solution with plasma treatment is required. This project aims to design a novel plasma setup to degrade synthetic azo dye and a mixture of azo dyes, aiming to increase the efficiency of dye degradation at low input power. Experimental results may provide further direction for improving plasma reactor design and operating discharge mode/parameters to improve dye degradation efficiency.

Total Budget (INR):

20,40,802

Organizations involved