Enhanced methylene blue oxidative removal by copper electrode-based plasma irradiation with the addition of hydrogen peroxide

•The copper electrode based SPI/H2O2 system oxidizes methylene blue in water.•The copper electrode based SPI activate H2O2 via Fenton-like reaction mechanisms.•Hydroxyl radicals and cupryl ion are the dominant oxidants.

Submerged plasma irradiation (SPI)-based advanced oxidation processes have been studied for the oxidation of recalcitrant organic compounds because of their various physical and chemical properties. However, SPI technologies still have a few drawbacks such as relatively low efficiency for wastewater treatment and high energy consumption. In order to overcome these drawbacks, in this study, we proposed the combination of SPI and the Cu(II)-catalyzed Fenton-like system. The removal of methylene blue (MB) by the SPI system was significantly enhanced upon the addition of H2O2. The pseudo-first-order rate constants of MB removal increased with the increase of applied voltage. In addition, the optimum H2O2 dose and initial solution pH were 100 mM and 9, respectively. The reactive oxidants responsible for MB removal in copper electrode-based SPI/H2O2 systems are likely to be hydroxyl radicals (OH) or cupryl ion (Cu(III)), wherein Cu(III) is especially important. Furthermore, the copper electrode-based SPI/H2O2 system is a novel advanced oxidation process capable of oxidizing water recalcitrant and toxic organic pollutants at neutral pH.