Increasing the ⋅OH radical concentration synergistically with plasma electrolysis and ultrasound in aqueous DMSO solution

Abstract

In recent years, significant increases in waste processing and material engineering have been seen by using advanced oxidation processes. The treatment results and energy yields of these processes are largely determined by the generation and retention of reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, increasing the amount of ROS remains a key challenge because of the unavailability of performance- and energy-efficient techniques. In this study, plasma electrolysis, ultrasound, and plasma electrolysis combined with ultrasound were used to treat dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) solutions, and the results showed that the two methods can synergistically convert filament discharge into spark discharge, and the conversion of the discharge mode can significantly increase the concentration of OH radicals and effectively improve the efficiency of DMSO degradation. We verified the rationality of the results by analyzing the mass transfer path of ROS based on the reaction coefficients and found that the ⋅OH radicals in aqueous solution were mainly derived from the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide. These findings indicated that the synergistic action of plasma electrolysis and ultrasound can enhance the production of chemically reactive species, and provide new insights and guiding principles for the future translation of this combined strategy into real-life applications. Our results demonstrated that the synergistic strategy of ultrasound and plasma electrolysis is feasible in the switching mode and increasing the ROS, and may open new routes for materials engineering and pollutant degradation.