Alternative Treatment Technologies
Silent
Discharge Plasma Technology (SDPT) - ENV America Inc., Demonstration
at McClellan, AFB
The Silent Discharge
Plasma Technology (SDPT) uses nonthermal plasmas[1] to remove pollutants from the air
through the use of "dielectric-barrier" electrical discharges. These dielectric barriers prevent arcing in
gas (air) between the electrodes. SDPT
produces the plasmas in an airtight parallel plate glass cell located between
stainless steel electrodes. A schematic
of this the plasma reactor is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1: SDPT Plasma Reactor
As the air passes
through the planar cells, the contaminants in the airstream are exposed to
highly reactive ions and molecules, which trigger complex chemical
reactions. These reactions cause
oxidation of the contaminants into basic products of oxidation, such as
hydrochloric acid (HCl), carbon dioxide (CO2), water (H2O),
and other byproducts. The concentration
of these byproducts is affected by field conditions such as temperature, flow
rate, humidity, and initial concentration of contaminants is the air
stream. These treatment byproducts must
be properly disposed of off-site.
Based on the
information contained in the technical report, full-scale implementation of
this technology would require substantial changes to the overall engineering
design. Inconclusive results were found
regarding wastes produced as a result of utilizing this technology, the
technology did not appear to generate large quantities of waste.
For more detailed
information regarding the SDPT and the demonstration project at McClellan Air
Force base which pilot-tested this technology, see: SDPT Report.