Effects of Diaphragm Discharge in Water Solutions Containing Humic Substances

Preliminary results of research focused on the applications of DC diaphragm discharge in water solutions containing humic substances are presented in this paper. Diaphragm discharge investigated by this work was created in the reactor using constant DC high voltage up to 2 kV that gave the total input power from 100 to 200 W. Presented work investigated decomposition of humic substances by the electric discharge in the dependence of discharge conditions (electrode polarity) as well as solution properties (electrolyte kind, pH). Especially substantial effect of pH on humic acid decomposition has been observed when acidic conditions stimulated the degradation process. Absorption spectroscopy in UV-VIS region together with fluorescence spectroscopy has been used for the detection of changes in humic solutions. Index of humification was calculated from obtained fluorescence spectra and a significant decrease of aromatic components in the humic mixture was determined during the discharge treatment.