Humic acid and trihalomethane breakdown with potential by-product formations for atmospheric air plasma water treatment

In this study an atmospheric air plasma reactor was studied for the degradation of HA and THMs in water. Plasma treatment showed significant breakdown efficacies for HA and THMs. At an applied voltage of 80 kV about 93% of HA and >70% of THMs were degraded after 15 min and 30 min treatment time respectively, with the degradation following a first order kinetic model. Plasma induced reactive species including nitrates and H2O2 were quantified in the treated water. The results of FTIR analysis revealed that the molecular structure of HA was altered by the plasma treatment, with a decrease in aromaticity observed. (C) 2017 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.