Evaluating the generation efficiency of hydrogen peroxide in water by pulsed discharge over water surface and underwater bubbling pulsed discharge

Pulsed electric discharge over water surface/in water has been used to generate reactive species for decomposing the organic compounds in water, and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is one of the strong reactive species which can be decomposed into another stronger oxidative species, hydroxyl radical. The production efficacy of H2O2 by a gas phase pulsed discharge over water surface and an underwater bubbling pulsed discharge was evaluated through diagnosis of H2O2 by a chemical probe method. The experimental results show that the yield and the production rate of H2O2 increased with the input energy regardless of the electric discharge patterns, and the underwater bubbling pulsed discharge was more advantageous for H2O2 production considering both the yield and the production rate of H2O2. Results also indicate that the electric discharge patterns also influenced the water solution properties including the conductivity, the pH value and the water temperature. (C) 2016 The Japan Society of Applied Physics