Application Of Atmospheric-Pressure Non-Equilibrium Microwave Discharge Plasma For Decomposition Of Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate In Aqueous Solution

The typical household uses dish detergent, laundry detergent, and other synthetic detergents that contain large amounts of surfactants. For example, in the laundry case, it is common to use a combination of detergents and fabric softeners, and the anionic surfactants contained in the detergent and cationic surfactants contained in the fabric softener is bonded together to create a condition where surfactants do not decompose easily in aqueous solutions. As a result, surfactants that are drained into the water without degradation can cause environmental damage and pollution to ecosystems, oceans, and waterways. In this study, an aqueous solution containing anionic surfactants was treated by an atmospheric-pressure non-equilibrium microwave discharge plasma jet using an Ar gas and an Ar + H-2 mixture gas to enable decomposition of the surfactants in the aqueous solution by the OH and H-2 radicals given off in the plasma.