Abstract—The effect of electrode configuration on wastewater
treatment by underwater electrical streamer discharge is investigated
by comparing a coaxial rod-to-cylinder electrode configuration
with a point-to-cylinder one. By using a brilliant-blue FCF
solution as monitor pollutants, the dissipated energy per pulse, the
degradation rate constant, and the energy consumption in both
electrode configurations are compared under different solution
conductivities or pH values. The coaxial rod-to-cylinder electrode
configuration can dissipate as about three times of energy into the
solution as the point-to-cylinder one does during one discharge
pulse in our experiment. In both electrode configurations, the
degradation of the brilliant-blue FCF solution follows a pseudo
first-order rate profile. The degradation rate constant is not significantly
influenced by the solution conductivity, but it decreases
with increasing the solution pH value. Comparing with the pointto-cylinder
configuration, the degradation rate constant in the
rod-to-cylinder one was improved by a factor of about 4.3, 3.6,
and 2.9 at solution pH = 4, 7.8, and 10, respectively. The energy
consumption increases with increasing the solution conductivity
or the solution pH value in both electrode configurations, but it
is significantly lower in the rod-to-cylinder one when the solution
pH < 8. Fixing the solution conductivity at 150 µS/cm, the energy
consumption in the rod-to-cylinder system decreases by about
30% and 20% at solution pH = 4 and 7.8, respectively