Scaling Up Non-Thermal Plasma Technology for Water and Wastewater Treatment: Opportunities and Challenges

Benjamin Morenas, Sidra Saqib, Ahmad Mukhtar, Jonathan Stromberg and Sarah Wu ()
Additional contact information
Benjamin Morenas: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Drive MS 0904, Moscow, ID 83844-0904, USA
Sidra Saqib: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Drive MS 0904, Moscow, ID 83844-0904, USA
Ahmad Mukhtar: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Drive MS 0904, Moscow, ID 83844-0904, USA
Jonathan Stromberg: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Drive MS 0904, Moscow, ID 83844-0904, USA
Sarah Wu: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Drive MS 0904, Moscow, ID 83844-0904, USA

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 21, 1-21

Abstract: Emerging contaminants such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) pose significant challenges for conventional wastewater treatment technologies. Non-thermal plasma (NTP) has gained attention as a promising advanced oxidation process capable of degrading persistent pollutants via hydrated electrons and reactive oxygen/nitrogen species under ambient conditions. This review summarizes recent progress in the application and scale-up of NTP for water treatment, with a focus on reactor configurations, degradation mechanisms, and energy efficiency. Key plasma reactor types—including dielectric barrier discharge, corona discharge, plasma jets, and gliding arc discharge—are evaluated for their suitability in large-scale applications. Pilot-scale studies addressing pharmaceuticals, dyes, and PFASs are reviewed to assess scalability, cost, and operational viability. Although NTP systems consistently achieve >80% contaminant removal, optimizing energy use and maintaining performance across complex water matrices remain critical challenges. Hybrid systems integrating NTP with ozonation, ultrafiltration, or cavitation show potential to improve treatment efficacy and reduce energy demands. Future research priorities include reactor design optimization, contaminant-specific plasma tuning, and technoeconomic analysis to support the translation of NTP technologies from lab-scale innovation to field-scale implementation.

Keywords: scale-up; non-thermal plasma technology; wastewater treatment; emerging contaminants; per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) degradation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/21/5692/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/21/5692/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:18:y:2025:i:21:p:5692-:d:1782676

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Cassie Shen

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().