Efficient degradation and mineralization of aniline in aqueous solution by new dielectric barrier discharge non-thermal plasma

Muhammad Imran Nawaz; Chengwu Yi; Abdul Mannan Zafar; Rongjie Yi; Babar Abbas; Husseini Sulemana; Chundu Wu

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2023.117015

Efficient degradation and mineralization of aniline in aqueous solution by new dielectric barrier discharge non-thermal plasma

Environ Res. 2023 Nov 15;237(Pt 2):117015. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117015. Epub 2023 Aug 29.

Authors

Muhammad Imran Nawaz¹, Chengwu Yi², Abdul Mannan Zafar³, Rongjie Yi⁴, Babar Abbas⁵, Husseini Sulemana⁶, Chundu Wu⁷

Affiliations

¹ School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China. Electronic address: dr.imran@ujs.edu.cn.
² School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China. Electronic address: yichengwu0943@163.com.
³ Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, United Arab Emirates University, AlAin, 15551, United Arab Emirates; Biotechnology Research Center, Technology Innovation Institute, Masdar, 9639, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Electronic address: Abdul.Zafar@tii.ae.
⁴ School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China. Electronic address: yirongjie1992@163.com.
⁵ Department of Environmental Engineering, University of Engineering and Technology, Taxila, 47080, Pakistan. Electronic address: babar.abbas@uettaxila.edu.pk.
⁶ School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China. Electronic address: husseysulley@yahoo.com.
⁷ School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China. Electronic address: wucd@ujs.edu.cn.

PMID: 37648191
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117015

Abstract

Aniline is a priority pollutant that is unfavorable to the environment and human health due to its carcinogenic and mutagenic nature. The performance of the dielectric barrier discharge reactor was examined based on the aniline degradation efficiency. Different parameters were studied and optimized to treat various wastewater conditions. Role of active species for aniline degradation was investigated by the addition of inhibitors and promoters. The optimum conditions were 20 mg/L initial concentration, 1.8 kV applied voltage, 4 L/min gas flow rate and a pH of 8.82. It was observed that 87% of aniline was degraded in 60 min of dielectric barrier discharge treatment at optimum conditions. UV-Vis spectra showed gradual increase in the treatment efficiency of aniline with the propagation of treatment time. Mineralization of AN was confirmed by TOC measurement and a decrease in pH during the process. To elicit the aniline degradation route, HPLC and LC-MS techniques were used to detect the intermediates and byproducts. It was identified that aniline degraded into different organic byproducts and was dissociated into carbon dioxide and water. Comparison of the current system with existing advanced oxidation processes showed that DBD has a remarkable potential for the elimination of organic pollutants.

Keywords: Aniline; Dielectric barrier discharge; Hydroxyl radicals; Mineralization; Wastewater treatment.