Characteristics of Atmospheric Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) Treated Water

Water, which is treated in an dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) apparatus at atmospheric pressure, has some characteristics similar to ozone water. Since a ceramic electrode is used as the upper electrode and the water electrode is used as the lower electrode in the DBD system, the plasma discharge is directly in contact with the water surface. The air layer located between the two electrodes is subject to a high voltage discharge and various gases, such as ozone, oxides of nitrogen, etc, are produced by the discharge. These discharge produced gases react physically and chemically with the water electrode and change the characteristics of the water. This DBD treated water has strong sterilizing and oxidizing ability. The oxidizing ability, which is measured by the iodometry method, is about 60~80 mg/l and pH value is about 2.8~3, i.e., the DBD treated water is subacid. In addition, this treated water can be used to process fruits, vegetables, and flowers so as to allow them to be stored fresh for a long time. In addition the DBD process can effectively eliminate minerals like Fe and Mn in water.