MARKETS
Pellucid Water is advancing a concept for water decontamination that has potential application within many sectors of the economy, wherever water is pretreated for consumption or processing and wherever water is post-treated to remove accumulated wastes.
Municipal Wastewater
The vial on the left contains influent to a municipal wastewater treatment plant. The vial on the right is the influent after treatment with plasma. The precipitate contains organic and inorganic compounds. The dissolved Phosphorus content in the clear liquid was reduced to 0.04 PPM.
Municipal Water Supply
Plasma treatment has potential to simplify water treatment facilities by providing simultaneous removal of organic compounds and inorganic ions, and disinfection.
A sample study was conducted by Pellucid Water to show the capability for water softening. A well water sample containing in excess of 500 ppm calcium carbonate was treated with plasma. The concentration of the treated sample was undetectable -- see precipitate in photograph. Plasma discharges can be designed to provide desired residual mineral concentrations.
Industrial Effluents
Pellucid Water conducted laboratory tests on field samples of various effluents obtained from industrial wastewater treatment facilities. Plasma has the potential to replace conventional use of expensive chemical treatments.
Laboratory tests were conducted on wastewater from a paper production mill. from The vial on the left contains untreated effluent from a paper mill, and the vial on the right is the same effluent after treatment with cold plasma. The recovered fiber could be recycled as filler material for new paper production, and the clear water recycled as process water.
Landfill Leachate
Effluent extracted from municipal landfills contains the widest range of dissolved organic chemistry of any effluent, including many Chemicals of Emerging Concern (CECs). In the near-term, this effluent is a major interest to Pellucid Water, both as a commercial market for its technology, and as evidence of the potential application of plasma to a wide range of effluents with much less difficult chemistries.
Desalination
Water availability is a serious concern in many parts of the world. Some municipalities along the sea coasts are using sea water or brackish water from wells as their raw water supply. Removal of chlorides from water using plasma is potentially a less expensive alternative to conventional reverse osmosis (and does not create a brine).
The adjacent picture depicts a sample of sea water after treatment with plasma. Chloride ions are removed through agglomeration with other dissolved chemistry in the water, forming particles that are separated from water through sedimentation or conventional membrane filtration.
Food Processing Effluent
The vial on the left contains effluent from a cheese factory. The vial on the right is the same effluent after treatment with cold plasma. The precipitate could be used as a feedstock for an anaerobic digester for the production of biogas and electrical power. The clear water could be recycled as process water.
Agricultural Effluents
The vial on the left contains effluent from an anaerobic digester on a dairy farm. The vial on the right is this same effluent after treatment with cold plasma. The precipitate contains organic compounds and nutrients, phosphorus and nitrogen, that could be recycled as a high-grade soil amendment and fertilizer. The clear liquid could be used for livestock.