Sanitary effect of FE-DBD cold plasma in ambient air on sewage biosolids

P Svarnas; E Giannakopoulos; I Kalavrouziotis; C Krontiras; S Georga; R S Pasolari; P K Papadopoulos; I Apostolou; D Chrysochoou

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135940

Sanitary effect of FE-DBD cold plasma in ambient air on sewage biosolids

Sci Total Environ. 2020 Feb 25:705:135940. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135940. Epub 2019 Dec 6.

Authors

P Svarnas¹, E Giannakopoulos², I Kalavrouziotis², C Krontiras³, S Georga³, R S Pasolari⁴, P K Papadopoulos⁴, I Apostolou⁵, D Chrysochoou⁵

Affiliations

¹ High Voltage Laboratory, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of Patras, 26 504 Rion, Patras, Greece. Electronic address: svarnas@ece.upatras.gr.
² School of Science and Technology, Hellenic Open University, 26 222 Patras, Greece.
³ Physics Department, University of Patras, 26 504 Rion, Patras, Greece.
⁴ Mechanical Engineering & Aeronautics Department, University of Patras, 26 504 Rion, Patras, Greece.
⁵ Veterinary Laboratory of Ioannina, Directorate of Veterinary Center of Thessaloniki, 45 221 Ioannina, Greece.

PMID: 31846812
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135940

Abstract

Sewage sludge is treated by means of cold plasma and stabilization in terms of biological load deactivation is achieved. The plasma is produced by floating electrode dielectric barrier discharge operating with air under atmospheric pressure conditions. The process is presented in detail and the discharge is characterized electrically. Additionally, simulation of the thermal flow inside the process chamber is implemented, using computational fluid dynamics. Deactivation of the serotypes S. Paratyphi B., S. Livingstone, S. Mbandaka and S. Typhimurium, and Escherichia coli and Coliforms, is hereby claimed. The process involves mean electrical power in the range of tens of watts, treatment time in the scale of minutes, and maximum instantaneous temperature <400 K. The present work is a preliminary contribution towards the promotion of advanced methods for the pro-ecological management of biosolids, according to European Regulations.

Keywords: Biosolid management; Cold plasma; FE-DBD; WWTP.

MeSH terms

Biosolids
Electricity
Plasma Gases*
Sewage*
Temperature

Substances

Biosolids
Plasma Gases
Sewage