Abstract

A radio-frequency plasma system (RF) was used to investigate the removal of microorganisms from water.Plasma generated by RF radiation can produce active compounds (H•, •OH, H2O2, O3, etc.) that have a highoxidation potential and can kill microorganisms present in water (fecal coliforms and total coliforms). Thefrequency of the plasma system was set to 3.0, 3.3 and 3.7 MHz and applied to river water for 60 minutes. Theresults show that in all runs, the pH of the water produced was in the range from 7.4 to 7.9. The removalefficiencies of fecal coliforms achieved were between 83.75 and 95% and were higher than the removalefficiencies of total coliforms, which were between 82.61 and 93.48%. Meanwhile, the death rate (kD) of fecalcoliforms wasfaster than that of total coliforms. Therefore, the removal of total coliforms is the key to removingmicroorganisms fromwater. RF plasma treatment can be used for treatment of drinking water to decreasemicroorganisms.

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