Comparison of Mechanisms for the Action of Cold Electric Discharge Plasma and Hot Pulsed Discharge Plasma Emission on Water Solutions

Abstract

Cold electric discharge plasma can be in direct contact with the water solution being treated. Active species are generated directly in the discharge and penetrate into the solution through the gas-liquid interface. Hot plasma of pulsed electric discharge can remotely affect an object without causing any thermal damage to it, e.g., by means of irradiating it. The effect of light penetrating into the solution is fundamentally different from the effect of cold plasma which is in contact with the solution: cold plasma already contains all active species, while radiation does not contain any of them. The species are generated in water solution when radiation passes through it. It is shown that the penetration depth of radiation into distilled water can be considerable. The method for activated water production based on the effect of plasma radiation can be more advantageous than that based on its treatment with cold plasma. © 2021 Institute of Physics Publishing. All rights reserved.