Kinetics of hydroquinone oxidation by a wire-cylinder dielectric barrier discharge reactor

The effects of discharge power, voltage/Current, initial concentration, pH, and air flow rate on the oxidative degradation of hydroquinone were investigated, respectively, by a wire-cylinder dielectric barrier discharge reactor under a NaCl concentration of 10g/L. Results indicated that the removal efficiency of hydroquinone increased from 74.6 to 88.2% when the discharge power increased from 30 to 50W. Moreover, an enhancement from 68.5 to 85.6% was observed when the air flow rate changed from 20 to 40L/h, at 10-min reaction time and an initial hydroquinone concentration of 40mg/L. The observed maximum pseudo-first-order kinetic constant was about 0.3820 +/- 0.0409min(-1) under a discharge power of 60W and air flow rate of 80L/h. Compared with other factors, discharge power, pH, and air flow rate played a significant role in improving the oxidation rates of hydroquinone. This work provides new insights into our understanding of plasma-induced degradation of hydroquinone under a NaCl concentration of 10g/L.