Removal of airborne oxides and conversion of compounds into elemental species in gases

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method are described in which particles and / or oxides are removed from a fluid medium in which at least some of the oxides are converted into elemental and / or allotrope species and can be collected for further application.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63 / 337,255, filed on May 2, 2022, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates to the treatment of industrial emissions, combustion gases, atmospheric gases and other gaseous or liquid fluids (e.g., water) to remove pollutants and / or nanoparticles and to cause the separation of pollutants present in the form of oxides, as a method for the simultaneous production of allotropes and other elemental materials and emissions treatment. Background Art

[0004] Atmosphere and surrounding environment become polluted more and more seriously because of various natural phenomena and because global industrial countries introduce artificial pollutants into air and water.The common example of artificial pollutants introduced into air is included in the airborne compound (for example, gas and / or particle) produced by burning in the power plant, incinerator, various types of industrial process (like smelting operation), nitric acid and sulfuric acid plant, internal combustion engine etc. of burning hydrocarbon.In most cases, these pollutants include the oxidation products of carbon, sulphur, nitrogen, lead, zinc and other elements.For example, because coal includes various impurities of trace, these impurities include lead, zinc, silver etc., so when coal burns, the carbon in coal and these impurities are oxidized.The sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides produced by the burning of the fuel comprising sulfide and the burning of the fuel comprising nitrogen compound form acid, cause acid rain, and this is an increasingly significant environmental problem.

[0005] Many devices have been developed to treat the combustion products of hydrocarbon burning power plants, incinerators, industrial processes, internal combustion engines, etc., to control the introduction of airborne particles from these sources. For example, coal-fired power plants often employ a scrubbing process using calcified materials that react with sulfur oxides to form gypsum. Unfortunately, the large amounts of waste products produced by this scrubbing process present serious disposal problems. Where possible, low sulfur coal is used in coal-fired power plants to reduce the need for scrubbing, but this increases the cost of generating electricity. Alternatively, sulfur oxide emissions are reduced by operating the power plant at lower temperatures, but this leaves some of the heating value of the coal untapped.

[0006] Another device for treating such emissions is to use electrostatic precipitators to enhance the removal of particles, in which various types of ion generators are used to produce ions that attach themselves to the particles. The resulting charged particles are then collected in an electrostatic precipitator. However, such methods are unable to capture nano-sized particulate material (e.g., particles less than 1 micron in size).

[0007] Unfortunately, existing methods of controlling the introduction of airborne particles from combustion have suffered from one or more serious problems. For example, they fail to reduce emissions to acceptable levels, they are too expensive to build or operate, and they are energy inefficient and store molecules rather than converting them into useful elemental components. Summary of the invention

[0008] In an exemplary embodiment, an apparatus for removing compounds from a fluid medium and converting at least some of the compounds into elemental substances is provided. The apparatus includes an electrode bed including a plurality of conductive electrode needles protruding from a surface of the electrode bed, wherein the electrode needles are coupled to a voltage source. The apparatus further includes an overflow plate spaced apart from the electrode needles of the electrode bed and including a surface on which water flows during operation, wherein the electrode needles extend toward the surface of the overflow plate, and a reaction zone is defined as a space disposed between and separating the surface of the overflow plate from the electrode needles protruding from the electrode bed. A water supplier that provides a water flow along the surface of the overflow plate into the reaction zone; a fluid supplier that includes an inlet and an outlet, the inlet providing a source fluid into the reaction zone, the source fluid including impurities entrained in the fluid, the outlet facilitating the delivery of a purified fluid from the reaction zone, the purified fluid having less impurities entrained in the purified fluid relative to the source fluid; and a power source for applying electrical energy to the electrode needles at a pulse frequency greater than 24,000 Hertz (Hz) and a negative voltage of 30 kilovolts (kV) to 100 kV. In the operation of applying electrical energy to the electrode needles by the power source, water from the water supplier flows along the surface of the overflow plate, and the source fluid flows through the reaction zone, and the impurities entrained in the source fluid are removed and converted into elemental components entrained in the water.

[0009] In other exemplary embodiments, systems are described herein that include one or more devices that can be provided in series and / or in parallel with respect to other devices in the system and can also be provided in series and / or in parallel with respect to water flow and / or source fluid flowing through the devices in the system.

[0010] In further exemplary embodiments, methods are provided for removing particles and oxides from a fluid medium and dissociating the oxides and converting the oxides to elemental and / or allotropic species as shown and described herein.

[0011] For example, a method for removing compounds from a fluid medium and converting at least some of these compounds into elemental substances includes directing water to flow along the surface of an overflow plate within an apparatus, applying electrical energy to a plurality of conductive electrode needles protruding from a surface of an electrode bed, wherein the electrode bed is aligned with the overflow plate so that the electrode needles extend toward the surface of the overflow plate, and a reaction zone is defined as a space separating the surface of the overflow plate from the electrode needles protruding from the electrode bed, and directing a source fluid to the reaction zone defined between the surface of the overflow plate and the electrode needles protruding from the electrode bed, while applying electrical energy to the electrode needles at a pulse frequency greater than 24,000 Hertz (Hz) and a negative voltage of 30 kilovolts (kV) to 100 kV to remove impurities entrained in the source fluid and convert the removed impurities into elemental components entrained in the water flowing along the surface of the overflow plate.

[0012] The above and still further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of specific embodiments of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a device described herein, partially in perspective.

[0014] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Side view of the device.

[0015] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 Exploded side view of the device.

[0016] Figure 4 is a view of the side wall portion of the apparatus including the electrode beds and corresponding water overflow plates.

[0017] Figure 5 is used for Figure 1 A view of the planar reaction surface of the electrode bed of the apparatus, comprising a plurality of electrodes.

[0018] Figure 6 It includes multiple Figure 1 A first side view of a partial cross-section of the system of apparatus depicted in FIG.

[0019] Figure 7 yes Figure 6 A partial and enlarged perspective and partially cross-sectional view of a first side of the system.

[0020] Figure 8 yes Figure 6 A partial and enlarged view in perspective and partial cross-section of a second side of the system (which is opposite the first side).

[0021] Throughout the disclosure, the same reference numerals have been used to identify similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, wherein like reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout, and wherein practicable embodiments are shown by way of example. It should be understood that other embodiments may be utilized, and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be understood in a limiting sense, and the scope of the embodiments is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0023] Various aspects of the present disclosure are disclosed in the accompanying description. Alternative embodiments of the present invention and their equivalents may be designed without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. It should be noted that any discussion herein about "one embodiment," "embodiment," "exemplary embodiment," etc. indicates that the described embodiment may include specific features, structures, or characteristics, and such specific features, structures, or characteristics are not necessarily included in each embodiment. In addition, references to the foregoing do not necessarily include references to the same embodiment. Finally, regardless of whether it is explicitly described, a person of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that each of the specific features, structures, or characteristics of a given embodiment may be used in conjunction with or in combination with the specific features, structures, or characteristics of any other embodiment discussed herein.

[0024] The various operations may be described in turn as a plurality of discrete actions or operations in a manner that is most helpful in understanding the claimed subject matter. However, the order of description should not be interpreted as implying that these operations are necessarily order-dependent. Specifically, these operations may not be performed in the order presented. The described operations may be performed in an order different from the described embodiments. Various additional operations may be performed and / or the described operations may be omitted in additional embodiments.

[0025] For purposes of this disclosure, the phrase "A and / or B" means (A), (B), or (A and B). For purposes of this disclosure, the phrase "A, B, and / or C" means (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B, and C).

[0026] As used with respect to embodiments of the present disclosure, the terms "comprising," "including," "having," and the like are synonymous.

[0027] Described herein is an apparatus, system, and method for producing elemental materials (including fullerenes and other nanoscale materials or materials with a particle size of no greater than 1 micron) (including but not limited to engineered partially functionalized elemental materials) using fluids (such as liquids, such as water), exhaust gases, atmospheric or ambient gases, and any combination of gaseous and liquid fluids (such as a combination of polluted water and polluted air). For example, the feedstock may include a fluid medium such as a gas, a liquid, or a combination of a gas and a liquid. More specifically, described herein is an apparatus, system, and method for treating a gas stream containing pollutants, waste, and the like generated by the combustion of fossil fuels in an electrochemical and / or electrophysical process to reduce oxides to solid elemental materials (e.g., nanoscale particulate materials with a particle size of no greater than 1 micron) and water, and to remove elemental materials from the gas stream. The apparatus, system, and method described herein facilitate the recovery of useful solid and / or other elemental materials (e.g., nanoscale particulate materials) from a gas stream, including but not limited to various forms of elemental carbon (including fullerenes), elemental sulfur, elemental iron, elemental gold, elemental magnesium, elemental isotopes, and the like, which may also be used to produce new products and fuels.

[0028] Removing elemental materials from oxidizing gases and / or particulate combustion products can also filter, clean, and greatly improve the air quality of the surrounding environment in an energy-efficient manner. The elemental materials formed by the embodiments described herein can be nanoscale, or, for example, include particulate materials with a size of no more than 1 micron. In specific applications using the devices, systems, and methods described herein, particles less than 5 microns in size, or even particles no more than 1 micron in size, can be captured in the exhaust gas, and these particles are concentrated into elemental form and separated from the exhaust gas, thereby refining these compounds. In addition, allotropes of the elemental materials obtained from the devices, systems, and methods described herein can be selectively formed (for example, elemental carbon can be formed into graphene, graphite, fullerenes, and / or carbon nanotubes of various sizes / carbon numbers, such as C 60+ , C 70+ wait).

[0029] Gases cleaned by the apparatus, systems, and methods described herein may find use in various sectors of the economy including, but not limited to, microbiological, industrial, commercial, and medical applications.

[0030] The method for cleaning and sterilizing atmospheric air using an apparatus and a system can be used in domestic houses, medical institutions, schools and pre-school institutions. For example, the installation of the system and the apparatus can be used to clean process gases in ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, chemistry and petrochemicals, the construction industry, the energy and fuel industries, for cleaning unorganized harmful emissions in production workshops and other places of enterprises, industries that incinerate waste, industries that burn hydrocarbon fuels for technical purposes, for eliminating pollutant emissions to the atmosphere from boilers using liquid fuels. The installation can be configured for operation on an open production site with a prepared concrete foundation, with utilities and electricity supply. The use of modular units makes it possible to eliminate the need to build chimneys for gas cleaning. The system can be further expanded to any emission volume.

[0031] According to embodiments described herein, the dissociation of oxides (e.g., in gaseous or particulate / solid form) is achieved by cleaning and sterilizing gaseous and / or liquid media with pulsed high voltage discharges (e.g., pulses greater than 24,000 Hertz (Hz)). The high voltage discharge can be generated via electrodes disposed in a reaction zone, which also includes a water surface or water interface in contact with or in communication with air or other gaseous and / or liquid media. The reaction zone can be formed between a precipitation electrode and an electrode made of electrically interconnected needles, which is supplied with a continuous water flow, and the electrode made of electrically interconnected needles is supplied with a suitable negative power supply (e.g., 30-100 kilovolts (kV) (e.g., 30-80 kV)) to achieve the desired dissociation of oxides in the gaseous medium to solids and / or other elemental materials and separation of elemental materials from the gaseous medium into the continuous water flow.

[0032] The reaction zone may be arranged in an apparatus including a housing having a tube for entering and removing a medium to be cleaned and an electrode for providing a high voltage. One of these electrodes may be made of two planes with a water bag for water overflow, and a second electrode may be made of electrically interconnected needles and connected to a high voltage power supply (wherein these needles are combined together to define the electrode). The needle of the second electrode may be fixed on an injector, the surface of which includes one or more surfaces, including but not limited to one or more flat or planar surfaces, one or more curved (e.g., convex, concave, etc.) surfaces, and surfaces including planar and curved parts. In a non-limiting exemplary embodiment described herein, an electrode needle is coupled to two planes (or curved surfaces), which extend substantially vertically in the housing of the apparatus but are at a selected angle to the vertical direction (i.e., vertically indicated relative to the height dimension of the housing). The needle may be further installed in a staggered order along the reaction surface of the plane (also described herein as an electrode bed), and the injector may be made of a dielectric material. In addition, as described herein, the needle may be coated with a suitable material to enhance the ionization and oxide dissociation process.

[0033] The use of the apparatus, system and method described herein for extracting and converting components in a gaseous medium into elemental components is based on the discovery of active factors of discharge in the needle tip region, which determine the course of all physical-chemical processes in the gas purification plant, resulting in electrochemical and / or electrophysical conversion of components to chemical elements. The process occurring in near-electrode scaling is considered novel and is referred to herein as the Plaron reaction. A Plaron is a single cycle of a state of interphase transition with release and absorption of thermal energy. The process associated with the systems and apparatus described herein can be characterized as a rapid interphase endothermic and exothermic transition reaction occurring when electrical energy is applied to the electrode needle at a pulse frequency greater than 24,000 Hz (e.g., 0.1-10 MHz), a negative voltage of 30-100 kilovolts (kV), and a current of 0.1-150 mA.

[0034] Exemplary embodiments of apparatus and systems for filtering, cleaning, and purifying a gaseous medium while converting components extracted from the medium to elemental components will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0035] Reference Figures 1 to 5 , depicts a single device 100 including a housing and a structure configured to receive a gaseous medium (e.g., exhaust effluent from an industrial plant), convert oxides into elemental materials, and collect such elemental materials in a water stream. The device 100 includes a frame 102 and a crossbeam 106 that support components of the device, including an electrode bed 112 and an air intake plate and louver wall 113. The high voltage isolator support device includes an insulator 107 extending from the crossbeam 106, so that the insulator 107 is also supported by the crossbeam 106. The crossbeam 106 and the voltage isolator support device support a top plate 109, an electrode bed 112, and a louver wall 113. Each side is provided with a pair of outer walls 114, each side includes a louver wall 113, and each outer wall 114 is spaced a small distance from the corresponding louver wall 11 to allow air flow between the two walls (so that air can enter the gaps of the louver wall 113 during operation). Each electrode bed 112 includes a plurality of electrodes 180 arranged as follows: Figure 5 A vent 108 is provided in communication with a top plate 109 to facilitate the flow of gas and / or air from the device.

[0036] The conduit or tube 120 provides a cleaning medium to the needle electrodes of the electrode beds via a valve 122 and through nozzles 124 directed to and along various locations of each electrode bed 112 so as to clean the needle electrodes at selected operating times. The apparatus 100 includes a pair of electrode beds 112, each bed including plates having a generally rectangular and planar configuration, the plates being aligned within the apparatus on opposite sides of a housing 102 and angled toward each other in the manner described herein. Each electrode bed 112 includes a plurality of electrodes 180 extending laterally outward from a planar reaction surface of the bed 112 and toward a corresponding overflow plate 132 aligned generally parallel to the bed 112. In this configuration, the electrode beds 112 are aligned relative to each other so that the planar reaction surface of each bed 112 (from which the electrodes 180 extend) is opposite or away from the planar reaction surface of the other bed 112. The electrodes 180 of each electrode bed 112 extend toward but are spaced a suitable distance from the corresponding overflow plate 132 aligned with the bed 112. While the reaction surfaces of the electrode beds depicted in the drawings are generally flat or planar in configuration, it should be noted that the apparatus may be modified to include any suitable reaction surface for one or more electrode beds, which reaction surface may be planar, curved, or a combination of planar and curved. In another exemplary embodiment, the electrode bed may include a rounded funnel-shaped configuration, wherein the electrodes extend from one or more rounded reaction surface portions of the electrode bed.

[0037] During operation, a water supply conduit or tube 126 provides incoming water (e.g., water from the flotation tank 212 when the device is implemented in the system described herein) to the reaction zone within the device 100. Specifically, a pair of water supply structures 128 are located on each side of the housing 102 corresponding to the location of the electrode bed 112. Each water supply structure 128 includes an upper water bag 130 (e.g., a reservoir or tank), an overflow plate 132, and a lower water collection bag 136 (e.g., a reservoir or tank). Each upper water bag 130 is connected to the outlet end of a corresponding water pipe 126 located at or near the top of the housing 102. When water from the tube 126 fills the upper water bag 130, the upper water bag 130 eventually overflows to provide water across and downwardly along the reaction surface of the corresponding overflow plate 132. Each overflow plate 132 is oriented generally parallel relative to its corresponding electrode bed 112 and is therefore angled inwardly as it extends from the upper side or top side of the housing 102 of the device 100 to the lower side or bottom side of the housing 102. Similar to the reaction surfaces of the electrode beds, each overflow plate is depicted in the drawings as having a generally flat or planar reaction surface (i.e., the surface over which water flows). However, the device can be easily modified to include one or more overflow plates having reaction surfaces having curved configurations or a combination of planar and curved configurations.

[0038] In operation, water flows from tube 126 at the top of the apparatus to upper water bag 130, fills bag 130, and then overflows from bag 130 downwardly and along overflow plate 132. A corresponding lower water bag 136 is located at the bottom edge of each electrode bed 112 and the corresponding bottom edge of the corresponding overflow plate 132 to capture and hold the water as it drains from overflow plate 132. This allows water to flow evenly through overflow plate 132 and adjacent needle electrodes 180, which are connected to each electrode bed 112 and extend toward (but spaced apart from) the corresponding plane 13, during operation.

[0039] For example, in Figures 2 to 4 As shown in , the reaction surface of each electrode bed 112 (including the electrode 180) faces the reaction surface of the corresponding overflow plate 132 (the surface over which the water flows), wherein the two reaction surfaces are spaced apart from each other by a suitable distance to permit a gaseous fluid (e.g., air carrying oxides (such as carbon oxides, sulfur oxides, etc.)) flowing within the housing 102 to extend between the water layer flowing along the reaction surface of the overflow plate 132 and the reaction surface of the electrode 180 including the corresponding electrode bed 112. The water flows from the top of each overflow plate 132 to the bottom thereof, and thus from the top of the device to the bottom thereof. The return pipe or tube 138 is connected to the lower water bag 136 so as to collect and transport the water leaving the lower water bag to a suitable collection tank or collection site (e.g., the flotation tank 212 of the system 200, described in more detail herein).

[0040] The flow of gaseous fluid to be processed by the apparatus 100 enters the housing 102 via an inlet at the lower or bottom end of the housing. For example, the gaseous fluid inlet to the housing 102 may be via a lower hood or vent located at the bottom of the apparatus 100 (e.g., Figures 6 to 8 The gas stream flows through the housing 102, enters a reaction zone within the housing including the electrode bed 112 and the overflow plate 132 (including water flowing along such plane 132), and exits at or near the top of each device (e.g., via the vent 108 through the plate 109). Thus, during operation, the gas stream flows countercurrent to the water flow within the device.

[0041] Reference Figures 3 to 5, each electrode bed 112 includes a plurality of electrodes 180 arranged in one or more suitable arrays along the reactive surface of the bed 112. As shown in the example embodiment, the device 100 includes two electrode beds 112 formed as planes that are spaced apart from each other and aligned non-parallel relative to each other so as to be angled with respect to each other (i.e., each electrode bed is angled so as not to be perpendicular to the top and bottom sides of the device), wherein the spacing between the electrode beds gradually decreases from the top to the bottom of the device. In alternative embodiments, the fluid flow and the device may be configured such that the spacing between the beds gradually increases from the top to the bottom of the device.

[0042] The electrodes 180 of each bed 112 include electrically interconnected needles that are connected to a high voltage power source via an injector (not shown) so that the power source provides electrical energy to the electrode needles during operation. The injector is connected to a high voltage insulator support device including an insulator 107. The electrode needles are spaced apart from each other and arranged in a suitable arrangement (e.g., Figure 5 The electrode 180 is formed of a dielectric material and a three-dimensional hollow body. The needle may be made of stainless steel or any other suitable conductive metal or other material. The needle forming the electrode 180 may have any suitable size. In an exemplary embodiment, the needles may have a length from about 30 mm to about 50 mm (e.g., a length of about 40 mm) and a diameter (or cross-section) ranging from about 0.5 mm to about 1.2 mm (e.g., a diameter of about 0.8 mm). In addition, the rows of needles may be defined within an electrode array (e.g., one row is defined by any electrode group extending along an imaginary line within the array), wherein the spacing between the electrode needles is set to enhance the performance of the electrode bed during operation of the device. In a preferred embodiment, the spacing between any two consecutive electrode needles in a row may be in the range of from about 15 mm to about 30 mm, more preferably from about 18 mm to about 25 mm (e.g., about 22 mm). In addition, the electrode needles in one row of the array are staggered (i.e., misaligned) relative to the electrode needles in another continuous row.

[0043] An array of needle electrodes 180 may be provided and / or formed with each electrode bed 112 in any suitable manner. In an exemplary embodiment, each needle forming the electrode 180 may be inserted through a #16 insulated twisted wire, wherein the needle breaks the outer insulation of the wire and is in close contact with the conductive bundle within the wire. Each wire may be connected to a high voltage power supply during operation to deliver current to each needle. The planar structure of each electrode bed 112 may be made of a suitable rigid and insulating material, such as ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) plastic or other suitable insulating polymer material. The planar structure of each electrode bed may be manufactured with holes in any suitable pattern or array to receive the needle when the needle emerges from the opposite end of the wire. Through close contact with the wire, each needle is part of a larger array directly coupled to the high voltage power supply via the wire, thereby forming a geometrically spaced combined needle electrode. The electrode supports the formation of an electric field in the reaction zone 190 between the electrode bed 112 and the reaction surface of the corresponding overflow plate 132.

[0044] These needles can be coupled to the planar structure of the electrode bed manually (e.g., individually by hand) or preferably via any suitable automated process (e.g., using conventional factory assembly methods). In alternative embodiments, the electrode bed can also be formed using techniques similar to methods for forming wiring or printed circuit boards. For example, a copper-clad fiberglass substrate material having very high fire resistance can be used. In addition, due to the high resistance of the glass fiber, it also has a high dielectric constant, thereby supporting the electric field without breakdown and becoming a current conductor when high voltage is present. The copper-clad fiberglass substrate can be manufactured by bonding a thin continuous layer of copper to a large piece of glass fiber. Using chemical etching, a wiring pattern is formed by removing copper that is not part of the wiring pattern itself. Bores through the planar structure can receive needles, wherein holes are provided so that the needles contact the wiring in the planar structure to complete the electrical connection with the high voltage power supply (based on the electrical coupling of the wiring to the power supply).

[0045] In another exemplary embodiment, the electrode needles are arranged in a row and connected in series along a continuous solid conductor, wherein each needle is crimped to the series conductor. This requires only a single crimp for each electrode, wherein each needle is connected to the solid conductor, which significantly improves the performance of the electrode bed and prevents arcing during operation of the electrode bed in the device.

[0046] The needles of each electrode bed 112 may also include a coating that reduces resistivity and provides excellent adhesion to the substrate, exhibits good wear characteristics, and can withstand temperatures between -30°C and 1400°C. In certain applications, some metals used in the coating may further enhance ionization and / or Planck reactions to dissociate oxides into elemental (and / or allotropic) materials by acting as catalysts for these reactions. The coating may be formed on the needle as follows. A multi-metal alloy produced by electroless nickel plating technology is formulated into a plating solution. The plating solution may contain a nickel cation source and may be reduced using boron or phosphorus. Complexing agents and reducing agents may be added to control the plating speed. Additional metal cation sources may also be added to produce a co-deposited alloy.

[0047] The material deposited on the needle forming the electrode 180 may include any one or more of nickel, tungsten, boron, copper, and carbon (e.g., carbon nanoparticles and / or coarse carbon particles). In an exemplary embodiment, the deposited material may include two or more of nickel, tungsten, boron, copper, and carbon (e.g., carbon nanoparticles and / or coarse carbon particles). In a particular exemplary embodiment, the deposited material may be mainly or substantially composed of nickel (i.e., greater than 50% by weight of the deposited material), and may further include tungsten in an amount of 3% to 6% by weight of the deposited material, boron in an amount of 1% to 3% by weight of the deposited material, copper in an amount of 0.5% to 1% by weight of the deposited material, and carbon in an amount of 1% to 3.5% by weight of the deposited material. For example, the carbon may be carbon nanoparticles in an amount of 0.05% to 0.20% by weight of the deposited material (e.g., particles less than 1 micron in size) and coarse carbon particles in an amount of 1% to 3% by weight of the deposited material (e.g., particles at least 1 micron in size). The electroless nickel plating solution may be used to form a deposit containing one or more of the material components described herein. Depending on the requirements of the coating for the end product application, the electroplating bath can be adjusted. The conditions for operating the electroless nickel plating bath depend on the final thickness of the plated layer, the morphology of the coating and the combination of alloy materials.

[0048] The high voltage source that provides electric energy to the electrode 180 of the electrode bed 112 may include a high voltage (HV) discharge arrester that controls arcs and flashovers from corona discharges associated with a high voltage source of electromotive force (EMF), which is a situation where there are photo plasma conditions near the reaction zone of oxide dissociation and elemental material capture processes. The HV discharge arrester may be composed of a plurality of 33,000Ohm, 5 watt resistors with a ceramic body, which are immersed in automotive power transmission fluid oil and placed in a plastic container, which also provides high isolation to prevent external arcs. The oil realizes a function similar to transformer oil, which provides insulation by increasing dielectric constant, isolation, suppressing arc and corona discharge and cooling. Typically, a resistor is a component that blocks current flow in a circuit and therefore generates heat when current flows through it. In order to provide a total resistance of 1 million ohms (megaohms) for a high voltage discharge arrester, for example, 31 series resistors may be provided, each of which has a resistance value of 33,000 ohms and a power handling capacity of 155 continuous watts of dissipated power. This configuration is particularly effective using an electrode array for an electrode bed, in which only a single crimp of each electrode is required (i.e., each pin is crimped to a series conductor), because the configuration effectively eliminates the possibility of arcing during operation. Other configurations may increase the total resistance of the array. HV lightning arresters use multiple resistors arranged in a series configuration, whereby individual resistors are physically and therefore electrically attached end to end, which increases the total resistance in proportion to the number of resistors. Another characteristic of the resistor associated with the arrester is power handling. The rated value of each resistor is determined according to the safe power dissipation range when it is operated. The rated value of 5 watts for each resistor is a measure of the power that the resistor can withstand without stressing the ceramic body or the connection wires and the body. Power dissipation in electronic components manifests as radiated heat, so each 5 watt resistor in series increases the power handling capability by 5 watts because it increases the surface area available to support heat dissipation. The transmission oil also provides a means for cooling the resistor array during operation.

[0049] The reaction zone 190 is defined between the reaction surface of each overflow plate 132 and an electrode needle (i.e., electrode 180) protruding from the corresponding electrode bed 112, which is spaced from the plane 132 along the opposite side of the device 100 and is aligned approximately parallel to the plane 132 (but slightly deviates from parallel alignment, such as Figure 4132 and as described in further detail herein). During operation, the water flow through the tube 126 is controlled to ensure that a continuous thin water film is formed along the reaction surface of each overflow plate 132 as the water flows down along each plane 132 to the lower collection bag 136. This continuous thin water film along the reaction surface of each overflow plate 132 serves as a liquid electrode in the reaction zone 190. The electrode 180 of each electrode bed 112 for each reaction zone 190 (which faces the reaction surface and the thin water film of the corresponding overflow plate 132 and is separated from the reaction surface and the thin water film) also serves as a combination electrode for high voltage injection of the device.

[0050] The distance or spacing between the tip of the needle electrode 180 and the reaction surface of the corresponding overflow plate 132 can be set and / or adjusted via any suitable suspension mechanism associated with the water supply structure 128 and / or a suspension mechanism implemented in the support beam 106 and / or a high-voltage isolator support device supported by the support beam. In a non-limiting exemplary embodiment, the spacing (i.e., the reaction zone width) can be about 140 mm to about 150 mm.

[0051] Each overflow plate 132 and its corresponding electrode bed 112 are aligned relative to each other in a nearly parallel manner rather than an exactly parallel manner, so that the width of the reaction zone varies along the direction of fluid flow through the reaction zone, or varies with the length of the reaction zone. Specifically, each overflow plate 132 can extend from the top plate 109 (or a plane parallel to the top plate 109) and in a direction away from the central longitudinal axis of the shell 102 at a first angle of from about 69° to about 73° (e.g., about 71°). Each electrode bed 112 can extend from the top plate 109 (or a plane parallel to the top plate 109) and in a direction away from the central longitudinal axis of the shell 102 at a second angle of from about 65° to about 70° (e.g., about 67°). The first angle of each overflow plate 132 is different from (e.g., greater than) the second angle of each electrode bed 112. This results in the gap or distance (defined as the reaction zone width) between the tip of the electrode 180 and the reaction surface of each corresponding plane 132 being from the lower end or bottom (e.g., about 60°) of the shell 102. Figure 4 1) to the upper end of the housing 109 or the top plate 109 (as shown in FIG. Figure 4In other words, the reaction zone width decreases in the direction of the flow of the fluid carrying the oxide through the reaction zone 190 (i.e., the reaction zone width decreases in the direction from the reaction zone inlet or bottom of the shell 102 to the reaction zone outlet or top of the shell 102 at or near the top plate 109). In other embodiments, the gap or distance (reaction zone width) may increase in the direction of the flow of the fluid carrying the oxide through the reaction zone. It is believed that varying the gap or distance (or reaction zone width) with the reaction zone 190 in the manner described herein may enhance ionization and / or Planck reactions within the reaction zone as the gas (or other fluid) to be treated traverses the reaction zone from the inlet to the outlet of the apparatus 100 and the oxides / particles are removed from the gas and converted to elemental materials.

[0052] In response to applying an appropriate high voltage to the electrode 180 at an appropriate frequency (via a high voltage power supply) and current, ionization and / or Planck reactions of compounds entrained in the gas stream (via a hood or tuyere) provided to the apparatus 100 are promoted within the reaction zone 190 (defined between the ends of the electrode needles and the liquid electrodes defined at the reaction surface of the overflow plate). This results in the dissociation of the entrained compounds and the production of elemental materials or components (e.g., elemental carbon, elemental sulfur, etc.) that are removed from the gas stream and further captured and entrained in the flowing water that defines a continuous thin water film along the reaction surface of each overflow plate 132. The water exiting the lower water collection bag 136 can be collected (e.g., in the system 200 described herein), where the elemental components can then be separated from the collected water for further processing and / or further use in other applications.

[0053] The operation of the apparatus is achieved by providing a gas stream including entrained compounds to be removed from the gas stream. For example, the gas stream may include an exhaust stream from a combustion process, wherein the exhaust stream carries entrained oxides, such as carbon oxides, sulfur oxides, lead oxides, zinc oxide, iron oxide, magnesium oxide, and silver oxide. As noted herein, the apparatus may also be operable to treat fluids, such as liquids (e.g., water) or a combination of water and gas. A high voltage source (e.g., a transformer high voltage generator) is electrically coupled to the electrodes 180 of the electrode bed 112 so as to apply a voltage in the range of 30 kV to 100 kV (e.g., from 30 kV to 80 kV) at a high frequency (e.g., greater than 24,000 Hz, preferably 0.1-10 MHz) and a current of 0.1-150 mA at a reaction zone 190 of the apparatus 100.

[0054] A continuous film of water is provided along the surface of each overflow plate 132 (e.g., via a water circulation pump that delivers water to the tube 126, to the upper water bag 130, and then down along each overflow plate 132). An exhaust gas (or other fluid) stream containing oxidized particles is introduced into the apparatus 100 at the bottom of the housing 102 (e.g., via a damper) so as to flow through the reaction zone 190. The apparatus 100 can be used to treat gaseous fluids at any desired temperature. In an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus 100 can be used to directly treat a fluid stream having a temperature ranging from about 10°C to about 200°C or more (e.g., from about 30°C to about 90°C). Temperature management of the fluid stream can be achieved via a heat exchanger and / or via direct air capture from the surrounding environment. For example, louvered wall 113 opposite electrode bed 112 includes openings or slits that permit air to flow from the ambient environment into housing 102 and then out of vents 108 at top plate 109, and this make-up air can be used to control the temperature at reaction zone 190. The slits in louvered wall 113 can be selectively adjusted to control the amount of air that can flow into the housing at any given time during operation.

[0055] An exhaust gas flow that enters the housing 102 from below (e.g., via an air vent) fills the reaction zone 190 of the apparatus 100. Specifically, the exhaust gas flow enters at the lower or bottom end of the housing 102, travels upward and enters the reaction zone 190 in the housing 102, then passes through the reaction zone 190 and exits the apparatus 100 at the vent 108 of the top plate 109. An air curtain may be formed within the housing 102 by providing an air curtain structure that delivers forced air (via a fan or blower, not shown) downward into the space between the outer wall 114 and the louver wall 113, where the forced air further flows through the slits of the louver wall 113 and continues to flow downward to provide an air flow at a central location near the bottom of the housing 102, where the exhaust gas flow enters. This forces the exhaust gas flow to the opposite side of the apparatus housing and enters and passes through the reaction zone 190 (e.g., Figure 2 The arrows and Figure 6 200 shown in the figure).

[0056] In the reaction zone 190, due to the high voltage applied between the electrode 180 and the thin water film layer (water film layer electrode) arranged along each overflow plate 132, the oxides carried in the exhaust gas are dissociated via ionization and / or Planck reaction to form elemental compounds (e.g., allotropes of such elemental compounds). The speed of the exhaust gas entering the reaction zone can be controlled (e.g., accelerated or decelerated) to enhance the interaction between the point source electrode 180 (needle tip) and the oxides, thereby controlling the conversion of the oxides into elemental components (e.g., elemental carbon, elemental sulfur, elemental lead, elemental zinc, elemental magnesium, elemental silver, etc.). The elemental components formed by the dissociation of the oxides in the exhaust gas flow are further separated from the air flow and absorbed into the thin water film defined by the water flowing along each overflow plate 132. The elemental materials can be separated, discarded, processed, etc. as needed. Certain elemental components (e.g., elemental carbon in the form of graphite, graphene, fullerene and / or nanotubes) can be used for other processes. The fluid without oxides leaves the device via one or more outlets at the top plate 109 of the housing 102.

[0057] Thus, the apparatus 100 facilitates the flow of gas or other fluids to be processed from the bottom to the top of the apparatus within the reaction zone 190 of the apparatus, while water that forms the electrodes and collects the elemental materials formed in the reaction zone 190 flows from the top to the bottom of the apparatus (e.g., by gravity) or countercurrently to the process gas or fluid containing the oxide. Alternatively, the direction of the fluid to be processed and the water flow can be opposite to that in the embodiment depicted in the figures, while still maintaining countercurrent flow between the fluid to be processed and the water flow.

[0058] The apparatus may be of any suitable size for a particular application and based on the volume of fluid to be processed in a given period of time.

[0059] In other embodiments, multiple devices may be coupled together in parallel or in series with respect to the fluid flow through the devices. For example, the devices may be connected together in series, with the fluid carrying the oxide flowing from the outlet of one device to the inlet of the devices aligned in series, etc., for any number of devices connected in series. Alternatively, each device may be arranged in parallel flow with respect to the fluid flow carrying the oxide, with each device separately and independently processing a portion of the fluid. Similarly, the devices may be aligned in series flow or parallel flow with respect to the water flow to each device (which carries the elemental species formed by the devices).

[0060] The system may be configured to house or contain a single device or a plurality of devices (arranged in series and / or in parallel with respect to the fluid flow and / or water flow carrying the oxides). In certain applications, providing devices in series with the fluid to be treated may achieve greater efficiency in oxide removal and conversion to elemental materials. In certain other applications, and depending on the volume flow that needs to be treated over a certain period of time, the system may provide devices in parallel with respect to the flow of the fluid to be treated to ensure adequate treatment of a large volume of the fluid at a given time.

[0061] refer to Figures 6 to 8 An exemplary embodiment of a system 200 comprising a plurality of apparatuses 100 is depicted. The system 200 comprises a housing having a structural roof assembly 201 and a plurality of vertically stacked units, containers or compartments 202. The size of the compartments 202 may vary based on the size requirements of the apparatus 100 and / or other system components. In an exemplary embodiment, the height of one or more (e.g., all) of the compartments 202 may be up to about 12 meters (e.g., 40 feet high). The system 200 is described as processing a gas stream obtained from a combustion location 209. However, the system may be used with any other type of industrial system and for various different types of gas streams (or liquid streams, or a combination of gas and liquid streams) to be purified, the gas streams to be purified including atmospheric air or direct air capture (DAC) (wherein atmospheric air may be processed and purified from oxides (including but not limited to carbon oxides, sulfur oxides, and other oxides)).

[0062] The gas stream or combustion gas products obtained from the combustion location 209 is delivered to a heat exchanger 203 located within one of the compartments 202 via a process flow path 217 (e.g., via a suitable pipeline or supply pipe). The heat exchanger 203 can be used to cool the gas products leaving the combustion location 209, wherein the energy captured from the heat transfer between the gas products and the coolant fluid of the heat exchanger 203 can be used for another process. The gas stream exiting the heat exchanger 203 is then directed to another compartment 202 located above the compartment 202 housing the heat exchanger 203. The compartment 202 above the heat exchanger compartment 202 houses a plurality of devices 100. Although in Figure 2 Four devices 100 are depicted in the system 200 of FIG. 1 , but it should be noted that the system can be expanded in any manner to include any suitable number (e.g., one, two, three, or more) of devices 100 for cleaning / purifying the gas stream and removing and converting / capturing elemental components or materials in the water stream flowing through the device. The devices can also be aligned in any suitable manner within the container of the system, with the system including any number of rows and / or columns of devices within the container. As previously described, the devices 100 are arranged in parallel with respect to the flow of combustion gas and water within the device.

[0063] The gas flow flows from the outlet of the heat exchanger 203 through the duct 219 and then enters the manifold 220. The manifold 220 delivers the gas to each device 100 at an inlet 204 (also called a damper) located at the lower or bottom end of each device. Figure 6 As shown in a partial cross-sectional view of one of the devices 100 and further as Figure 2 As shown, the gas flows upward through each device within the reaction zone 190 disposed within the device (as indicated by the arrows within the reaction zone 190), wherein the gas is in close proximity and / or contact with the electrode 180 disposed on the electrode bed 112, which extends outward and enters each reaction zone 190. The treated and cleaned / purified air is exhausted from each device at a top location of each device 100 (e.g., exhausted from the vent 108 at the top plate 109 of the housing 102 of each device). The purified air is delivered out of the system 200 via a suitable purified fluid delivery structure (e.g., one or more ducts within the structural roof assembly 201) and into the surrounding environment or ambient environment.

[0064] One or more air curtain blowers 208 are appropriately aligned with each device 100 to blow air into the device between each louver wall 113 and the corresponding outer wall 114, wherein the air is blown downward within the housing 102 of each device 100 to create an air curtain that forces the combustion gas flow to be diverted from the inlet 204 and directed through each reaction zone 190 (such as Figure 6 100).

[0065] The water recirculation system for system 200 includes a water pump 225, a pipe 126 that provides water to the device 100 (via the upper water bag 130), and an outlet or return pipe 226 that returns the water from the device (from the lower water collection bag 136) to the collection tank 212. The operation of each device has been described previously. Water carrying elemental substances flows from each device 100 (via the return pipe 226) to the collection tank 212, where the collection tank 212 can be configured to filter and / or separate and collect solid elemental substances from the water for further processing. The filtered water, which is substantially free of elemental substances and other solids, is then recirculated to the pipe 126 via the water pump and returned to the water inlet of the device 100.

[0066] The elemental components or materials (e.g., elemental carbon materials, such as fullerenes and / or carbon nanotubes, elemental sulfur materials, etc.) filtered and / or separated from the collection tank 212 can be delivered to a processing system 235, for example, via a chute 230. The processing system 235 can process the elemental materials in any suitable manner, including but not limited to modifying the materials in any manner and depending on the specific application. The collection bag 212 can also include a dissolved air flotation (DAF) tank, which includes an air bubbling pump 207 and a pressurizer 206 connected to the tank 212 to provide bubbles in the water in the tank, which can enhance the separation of elements and / or other solid materials (e.g., compounds containing carbon, sulfur, iron, etc.) from the water.

[0067] The system 200 further includes a cleaning solution for selectively cleaning the electrodes within each device 100, wherein an electrode cleaning solution pump is provided to introduce the cleaning solution from the cleaning fluid reservoir 205 and to the electrodes via the cleaning solution pipe 120 and valve 124 (e.g. Figure 1 and Figure 6 200 ) is introduced into each device 100 , where the cleaning solution is pumped into the reservoir 205 and then returned to the reservoir 205 via the return pipe 213 and the pump.

[0068] System 200 provides enhanced purification of gases to remove harmful impurities and particulates (including oxides as noted herein).

[0069] The operation of the system 200 is described as follows. A polluted gas stream (e.g., flue gas) is injected into a chimney located below or near a gas cleaning plant or other combustion location 209 including the system 200. The gas stream passes between the tips of the electrodes 180 of the electrode bed 180 of each device 100 at low or small pressure under the action of auxiliary thrust. The air curtain delivered via the air curtain blower 208 is used to create an air wall through the slits of the louver wall 113 to force the gaseous exhaust to enter and pass through the reaction zone 190 of the device 100, after which the treated exhaust is released from the device and the system 200 to the atmosphere. The water electrode for each device 100 is formed by water flowing downward from the upper water bag 130 along each overflow plate 132 and serves as a receptor for the extracted impurities. The water with precipitated impurities (elemental materials and / or other solid materials) is collected in the lower water bag 136 and then discharged to the DAF tank 212 via pipe 226 by gravity. The water is treated and filtered to remove solid materials. Once filtered, the water is pumped back to the upper water bag 130 (via tube 126) for reuse by each device 100. A voltage from 30 kV to 100 kV (e.g., from 30 kV to 80 kV) is applied to the electrodes 180 of the injector from a high voltage source (e.g., of the type previously noted herein) at a pulse frequency greater than 24,000 Hz (preferably from 0.1 MHz-10 MHz) and at a current ranging from 0.1 mA to 150 mA.

[0070] Thus, the apparatus, systems, and methods described herein provide enhanced removal of oxides from gas streams containing contaminants and enhanced conversion of oxides to elemental materials. Gas streams can be purified, and elemental materials formed by processes utilizing apparatus and / or systems (including multiple apparatuses) are valuable for various applications.

[0071] The use of two separate reaction zones in each device (each reaction zone is provided between an overflow plate and a corresponding electrode bed) provides enhanced fluid processing (purification and formation of elemental materials). In addition, the variation in reaction zone width along the flow path defined between each electrode bed and the corresponding overflow plate (wherein the reaction zone width decreases in a direction from a reaction zone inlet or bottom of the housing to a reaction zone outlet or top of the housing) can enhance ionization and / or Planck reactions of oxides within the fluid as the fluid flows along each reaction zone.

[0072] In alternative embodiments, a liquid stream (e.g., water) may be purified by passing the liquid stream through a reaction zone of an apparatus or system comprising a plurality of apparatuses as described herein, and in the same or similar manner as noted herein for gas streams, to facilitate removal of components comprising particles and oxides, and to convert oxides within the liquid stream into elemental species and / or allotropic species prior to removing the elemental species and / or allotropic species from the liquid stream. In addition, combined gas and liquid streams may also be processed by apparatus and systems utilizing the same techniques described herein.

[0073] The systems, apparatus, and methods described herein also facilitate efficient cleaning of air or other gaseous and / or liquid input streams to remove all oxides, particles, dust, mold, fungal spores, and bacteria. The air stream or exhaust stream enters the bottom region of the apparatus. In an exemplary embodiment of the system (e.g., Figures 6 to 8 ), these reaction zones are provided in four open channels (e.g., four devices in parallel), which are further divided into eight sub-channels (two reaction zones per device), which flow upward and are treated by ionization and / or Planck reaction, causing the oxides to recombine into solid elemental materials, including allotropes of such elemental materials (e.g., carbon allotropes, such as graphene, graphite, fullerenes and carbon nanotubes, and sulfur allotropes). Due to the dissociation reactions in the reaction zones, oxygen and nitrogen can be released in the form of inert gases, and these inert gases travel with the treated air leaving the device and system and enter the atmosphere.

[0074] Due to the process occurring in the near-electrode, scaling, high-voltage discharge and release of electrons that collide with the molecules of the polluting components, thereby exciting them and destroying the structure of these components. The process of electrochemical and / or electrophysical conversion of oxides into solid chemical elements occurs. Interphase exothermic and endothermic reactions occur at each zone above the needle tip, which significantly enhances the conversion process.

[0075] As previously noted, high voltage processing conditions (e.g., a voltage of 30 kV-100 kV pulsed at a frequency greater than 24,000 Hz, preferably 0.1-10 MHz, and an applied current from 0.1 mA-150 mA) can be applied to the electrodes of the electrode bed, resulting in conversion efficiencies of up to 99.95% for carbon oxides, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, etc.

[0076] The use of high-voltage discharges in the reaction zone of the device and / or system can provide high-quality air cleaning related to disinfection and / or sterilization of various viruses and bacteria in the air due to resonant exposure, wherein periodic external exposure causes a sharp increase in the amplitude of the stationary vibrations of the microorganisms. When the frequency of the external influence coincides with the frequency characteristics of the microorganism, it is destroyed. At the same time, within the voltage and current ranges claimed for protection, resonant conditions that are harmful to viruses and microorganisms are generated. The air is dissociated from oxides, dust, aerosols, bacteria and viruses by 90% or more. In addition, VOCs, furans and dioxins are also dissociated in the process. Due to the resonance, an additional action on the chemical bonds of the polluting components is provided, resulting in the destruction of these bonds and the neutralization of toxic substances.

[0077] Fullerenes are one of the valuable elemental materials that can be recovered using the apparatus, systems, and methods described herein. Fullerenes are high value chain and industrially important forms of carbon that contain 60 or more sp 2 Large closed cage molecules composed of hybridized carbon atoms. Currently, fullerenes are known in the form of spheroids ("Buckminsterfullerenes") and cylindrical or toroidal shapes ("nanotubes"). Various complex and expensive processes are known for producing fullerenes. Because these processes are so complex and the yields are so low, the resulting products are extremely expensive. The systems, devices and methods described herein provide more efficient and inexpensive methods for producing these materials.

[0078] Since the apparatus of the invention requires only a small amount of energy to operate, when the apparatus is used to treat emissions from, for example, a coal power plant, carbon can be recovered from the plant's smokestacks and reused repeatedly for fuel combustion, greatly increasing the efficiency of the plant.

[0079] The systems, apparatus and methods described herein are also useful in reducing the need for landfilling. For example, because the systems and apparatus are so effective in cleaning the air, incinerators can be used, which have heretofore been prohibited or discouraged from use due to the difficulty in effectively controlling the air pollution they produce. As a result, many materials that would otherwise be incinerated are landfilled, wasting a large amount of landfill area unnecessarily. If such materials can be burned in an incinerator and processed in the present apparatus, this will greatly reduce the volume of remaining materials (mainly collected elemental materials), which can then be sold as high-value materials. In addition, already buried landfill materials can be mined, incinerated, processed according to the present invention, and then sold again as high-value materials.

[0080] In certain embodiments, a gas stream containing oxidized molecules and particles depending on the emission source material may move through multiple (e.g., three) reaction zones: a first zone just above the needle tip of the electrode of the electrode bed, a second zone located just across the first zone, and a third zone just across the second zone and adjacent to the flowing water film within each reaction zone. The first zone closest to the needle may be the most reactive, with the reactivity decreasing as the distance away from the needle tip increases.

[0081] In embodiments where a single apparatus is provided, the air or other fluid stream carrying the oxides and / or other contaminants may be recirculated within the single apparatus (e.g., rather than directing the stream from the outlet of the apparatus to the environment surrounding the apparatus). Alternatively, as previously described, a plurality of apparatuses may be provided in series for treating the stream of fluid streams by removing such oxides and / or other contaminants.

[0082] The devices, systems and methods described herein can be operated indoors or within a closed environment because the exiting air (or other fluid) stream is substantially free of unwanted particles. Alternatively, the devices, systems and methods can be operated in an external environment, preferably with an appropriate rain shield (not shown) that protects the electrode node body, receptors and other potentially vulnerable parts of the device.

[0083] Elemental carbon materials (such as fullerenes) can be produced using the apparatus, systems and methods described herein. Preferably, when it is desired to produce fullerenes, a very clean hydrocarbon source (such as jet fuel or paraffin) is burned and processed by the apparatus 100 and / or system 200 to minimize the presence of impurities in the fullerene end product. The produced fullerenes (including nanotubes C60, C70, C84 and C120) and newer unknown fullerenes can be separated using conventional techniques (e.g., at the processing system 230 of the system 200).

[0084] Still further, other materials formed as a result of the devices, systems, and methods described herein are hydroxyl groups (OH). The hydroxyl groups formed can be used for applications (eg, removing methane from the atmosphere).

[0085] It is believed that the use of the apparatus, systems and methods described herein to dissociate oxides into elemental materials may be the result of the production of elemental hydrogen, which is produced at the tip of the point source electrode in the reaction zone of the apparatus by monopolar ionization and / or Planck reaction, which is very active in reducing the oxidized gas in the process flow. However, the apparatus, systems and methods described herein should not be limited in any way to any theory of operation to produce such elemental substances and purification of process streams. With this in mind, based on the use of the apparatus, systems and methods described herein, it is suggested that the following possible mechanisms are used for the reduction of carbon oxides and sulfur oxides and the formation of hydroxyls, wherein other materials, such as iron, silver, copper, magnesium, etc., are converted into their elemental forms by similar mechanisms.

[0086] a) Complete or partial dissociation of carbon oxides:

[0087] СΟ 2 →С+Ο 2

[0088] СΟ 2 →СΟ+1 / 2Ο 2

[0089]

[0090] СΟ 2 *(г)+С(т)→С(ο)+СΟ(г)

[0091] b) Recovery process using atomic hydrogen:

[0092] СΟ 2 + H → С + H 2 O

[0093] СO+2H→С+H 2 Ο

[0094] c) Interaction between carbon oxide and atomic oxygen:

[0095] СΟ 2 *+Ο→СΟ+O 2

[0096] H2O═OH-+H+

[0097] H++e-=H

[0098] 4OH--4e-=O2=2H2O

[0099] 6H+SO2=H2S+2H2O

[0100] SO2+2H2S=3S↓+2H2O

[0101] or

[0102] SO2+4H=S↓+2H2O

[0103] Likewise, carbon dioxide can be reduced according to this mechanism:

[0104] 4H+CO2=C↓+2H2O

[0105] CO2+8H=CH4+2H2O

[0106] CH4+CO2=2C↓+2H2O

[0107] The devices, systems and methods described herein provide many advantages. Some non-limiting examples of these advantages are described below:

[0108] A system, device or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and their derivatives) with high electron affinity and electron transfer capability to act as acceptors in solar cell systems based on electron transfer from a photoexcited material (donor) to an electrode. This process is mediated by an acceptor molecule. An example of a commonly used acceptor is phenyl-C61-butyryl acid methyl ester (PCMB), which is used as a donor together with polythiophene (P3HT).

[0109] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or their derivatives) that can be easily hydrogenated and dehydrogenated due to their unique molecular structure (composed of only carbon atoms).

[0110] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or their derivatives) that can be used to produce commercial-scale agricultural additives to increase soil carbon content.

[0111] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or their derivatives) that represents the future of developing relatively lightweight metals with greater tensile strength without severely altering the ductility of the metal, possibly due to the sp, sp 2 and / or sp 3 Small size and high reactivity due to hybridization.

[0112] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or their derivatives) that can potentially be converted into diamond by applying pressure to cause a minor rearrangement of the carbon atoms.

[0113] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or derivatives thereof) which produce superconductivity in the range of 19K to 40K: Of particular importance are crystalline compounds of C60 with alkali and alkaline earth metals. These compounds are the only molecular systems that exhibit superconductivity at temperatures above 19K. Superconductivity has been observed in the range of 19K to 40K (-254°C to -233°C / -425°F to -387°F).

[0114] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or their derivatives) that replace coal or biochar as a reducing agent for steel production, "reduction" being the chemical reaction that converts iron ore (Fe2O3) into pig iron (2Fe). Carbon monoxide (CO) is the key ingredient (Fe2O3 + 3CO → 2Fe + 3CO2) and is produced by burning coal in a blast furnace. This also produces carbon dioxide as a waste product, which can be used to produce more carbon allotropes by this method.

[0115] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or derivatives thereof) for use in batteries to reduce the electron charging resistance of the cathode layer by increasing the surface area for electrons to bind to the high surface area, thereby significantly reducing the resistance of these materials.

[0116] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or derivatives thereof) as a substitute for metals or hybridized with metals in electrical wires due to the material's conductivity, or to produce conductive plastics.

[0117] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or their derivatives) for use in water purification and wastewater treatment.

[0118] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or derivatives thereof) that increase the thermal conductivity of lubricants and thus their ability to more rapidly accept and move thermal energy, whether hot or cold. Such fullerenes or derivatives thereof exhibit significant properties as lubricity additives for engine wear and cutting fluids, as well as a reduction in resistance to wear of parts.

[0119] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or their derivatives) wherein the materials are used as antioxidants based on chemical properties like very high electron affinity and a large number of conjugated double bonds. They are referred to as "radical sponges" due to their ability to interact with multiple free radicals before being consumed.

[0120] A system, device or method for producing carbon-rich allotropes (fullerenes and / or their derivatives) to act as these compounds, also known as antiviral agents. One of their most exciting properties is the ability to inhibit the replication of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which leads to the inhibition of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) manifestations. In more detail, it has been observed that fullerene derivatives are able to inhibit HIV protease, which in turn prevents HIV 1 replication and subsequent development of the disease. Fullerenes have great potential for the development of new anti-HIV drugs. The antiviral activity is strongly affected by the relative position of the side chains on C60. This can occur through the synthesis and subsequent discovery of the characteristics of a series of fullerene derivatives that are truly antiviral active, examples of which are: fullerene pyrrolidines (containing 2 ammonium groups) are described as HIV-1 and HIV-2 antagonists; cations, anions and amino acid derivatives are seen to inhibit hepatitis C virus replication; amino acid derivatives of C60 are found to be able to inhibit human cytomegalovirus replication; water-insoluble derivatives.

[0121] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or their derivatives) that are believed to be active for the electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) for hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) synthesis. A hybrid of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and C60 covalently attached to the outer surface of the CNTs can be synthesized. The structure of the C60-CNT hybrid can be confirmed by physical and chemical characterization, and its conformation is characterized by the covalent bonding of the carbon nanotubes and the C60 derivatives. The C60-CNT hybrid material exhibits high efficiency in producing H2O2 due to its huge surface area and intermolecular electron transfer. A high H2O2 productivity of 4834.57 mg L-1h-1 (426.58 mmol L-1) was achieved at -0.2V compared to a saturated calomel electrode (SCE).

[0122] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or their derivatives) for use as a binder in the asphalt concrete mixing process to replace dolomite, dolomitized limestone and / or carbon black to improve thermal performance and road stiffness.

[0123] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or derivatives thereof) which have been functionalized or partially functionalized.

[0124] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or derivatives thereof) for use in providing fuel for a hydrogen-generating reaction.

[0125] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or derivatives thereof) as a means of delivering compounds to a location to produce a desired effect. These materials act as carriers because they have good biocompatibility, selectivity, and they are still small enough for proper diffusion within the organism, which is necessary for their ultimate location. In the case of gene delivery, foreign DNA is introduced into cells to achieve the desired effect. To this end, DNA sequences are linked to amino acid derivatives of C60. At the appropriate sites, these sequences are disconnected due to the loss or denaturation of these amino groups. Biochemical experiments have shown better capabilities compared to carriers commonly used for this application.

[0126] A system, apparatus or method for producing rare earths simultaneously from coal, metal tailings ponds, electronic waste and oil sands wastewater ponds. As an alternative to rare earth mining and shortages.

[0127] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or derivatives thereof) to manage waste materials.

[0128] A system, apparatus or method for recovering elemental metals from oxides in a metal refinery is used to recover metals from melt losses during the refining process. Typical losses for refined gold are 1%-2.5% as melt or mass loss, and another 1.5%-2.5% as assay or sub-karat loss. Typical losses for refined silver are 2%-4.5% as melt or mass loss, and another 2.5%-7.5% as assay or sub-karat loss.

[0129] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or their derivatives) to produce carbon fuel or synthetic fuel for combustion (e.g., calorific value > 29 MJ / kg, possible replacement fuel for coal power plants).

[0130] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or their derivatives) by pyrolyzing carbon allotropes to produce carbon fuels and further processing into renewable fuels and chemicals.

[0131] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or their derivatives) for use in producing carbon fuels for use as agricultural soil conditioners, or coating on biochar to increase its effectiveness in soil.

[0132] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or their derivatives) for use in water treatment and deacidification.

[0133] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or their derivatives) wherein the material is mixed with biomass as a fuel for a biomass power plant.

[0134] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or their derivatives) from ship emissions.

[0135] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or derivatives thereof) for use in producing commercial wood replacement products for fireplaces and wood stoves by mixing them with a binder and forming them into pellets or logs.

[0136] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or derivatives thereof) as nitrogen fertilizer adsorbents to increase ammonia stabilization.

[0137] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or their derivatives) for use in oxygen or other gas storage.

[0138] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or their derivatives) for use in oxygen storage, oxygen enhanced carbon fuels as substitutes for coal and biomass.

[0139] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or their derivatives) to convert vegetable oils into fullerenes.

[0140] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or their derivatives) for use in urea coatings.

[0141] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or derivatives thereof) for use as fertilizer additives for soil conditioners.

[0142] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or derivatives thereof) and sulfur allotropes in the presence of SO2 in the feed gas, thereby modifying the Claus process.

[0143] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or derivatives thereof) to manage carbon dioxide gas separated from biogas.

[0144] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or derivatives thereof) for managing gases separated from a pyrolysis plant.

[0145] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or their derivatives) that add grip to shoe soles.

[0146] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or their derivatives) for synthesizing photocatalysts (such as C3N4).

[0147] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or derivatives thereof) to provide additives for producing fuels, synthetic fuels and / or biofuels.

[0148] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or their derivatives) for use in fuel cell electrodes.

[0149] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or derivatives thereof) to produce compact EMF / RF shielding packages.

[0150] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or their derivatives) as carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Carbon nanotubes are materials with remarkable electrical, thermal, mechanical and optical properties. They have been considered a promising solution for thermal energy harvesting since it was demonstrated that they also have interesting thermoelectric properties.

[0151] A system, apparatus or method that significantly reduces oxidizing air in the atmosphere, increasing plant growth and yield by 30%.

[0152] A system, apparatus or method that produces a ground atmosphere by dissociating oxides into elemental forms, which significantly removes mold, fungus, pot rot, bacteria and viruses from the atmosphere, allowing plants to use energy for growth and crop productivity.

[0153] A system, device or method for producing enhanced cannabinoid / terpenoid COAs. Comparison of bud size / weight and COA to the same or similar strains.

[0154] A system, apparatus, or method that improves air quality, eliminates surface contamination in human and animal habitats, and prevents the airborne and contact spread of viruses and bacteria.

[0155] A system, apparatus or method for producing enhanced vitamin and nutritional value in vegetables and fruits during greenhouse growing of vegetables and fruits.

[0156] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or derivatives thereof), in particular for use in producing nanotubes for IC transistors.

[0157] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes, including nitrogen, boron and other elements, for use in the synthesis of new materials.

[0158] A system, apparatus or method capable of isolating and separating radioisotope oxides from contaminated water.

[0159] A system, apparatus or method capable of separating MgO, Cu2S, CuO, H2S, Mg(OH)2, ZnS into elemental forms. Shows antiviral activity against enveloped viruses.

[0160] A system, apparatus or method capable of forming a carbon material that acts as a lubricant when mixed with sand. This should increase penetration into rock fractures because it acts as a lubricant for the sand.

[0161] A system, apparatus or method capable of forming a carbon allotrope that can be mixed with putty to produce a conformal thermally conductive material for use in providing a cushion for irregular thermal surfaces as a thermal or electrical pathway for a thermoelectric generator.

[0162] A system, apparatus or method capable of forming a carbon allotrope that can be mixed with asphalt to provide additional strength to roads and bridges and potential electrical contact for surface heating to reduce de-icing, salting requirements, particularly on bridges and sidewalks.

[0163] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or derivatives thereof) to produce contrast agents in combination with barium or iodine for radioactive purposes.

[0164] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or their derivatives) for use in producing carbon materials for intercalation of elements (i.e., Mg, Ba, Al) to produce electrodes, cathodes, anodes, batteries and other electronic applications.

[0165] A system, apparatus or method for producing carbon allotropes (fullerenes and / or derivatives thereof) from power plant emissions that can be combined with an existing scrubbing process that uses calcium compounds that react with sulfur oxides to form gypsum to produce a gypsum-carbon composite product that is superior to gypsum.

[0166] The present invention is therefore described by way of the following non-limiting examples.

[0167] An apparatus for removing compounds from a fluid medium and converting at least some of the compounds into elemental species comprises an electrode bed including a plurality of conductive electrode needles protruding from a surface of the electrode bed, wherein the electrode needles are coupled to a voltage source; an overflow plate spaced apart from the electrode needles of the electrode bed, the overflow plate including a surface on which water flows during operation, wherein the electrode needles extend toward the surface of the overflow plate, and a reaction zone defined as a space disposed between and separating the surface of the overflow plate and the electrode needles protruding from the electrode bed. The apparatus also comprises a water supply that provides a flow of water to the reaction zone along the surface of the overflow plate; a fluid supply that includes an inlet and an outlet, the inlet providing a source fluid including impurities entrained in a fluid entering the reaction zone, the outlet facilitating delivery of a purified fluid from the reaction zone, the purified fluid having less impurities entrained therein relative to the source fluid; and a power source that applies electrical energy to the electrode needles at a pulse frequency greater than 24,000 Hertz (Hz) and a negative voltage of 30 kilovolts (kV) to 100 kV. In operation where the power source applies electrical energy to the electrode needles, water from the water supplier flows along the surface of the overflow plate, and the source fluid flows through the reaction zone, and impurities entrained in the source fluid are removed and converted into elemental components entrained in the water.

[0168] The apparatus may further include a housing that houses the electrode bed and the overflow plate, wherein the overflow plate and the electrode bed are generally arranged vertically and are angled relative to a height dimension of the housing.

[0169] The device may also include a pair of electrode beds and corresponding overflow plates, wherein the first electrode bed and the corresponding first overflow plate are located at a first side of the shell, and the second electrode bed and the corresponding second overflow plate are located at a second side of the shell, which is opposite to the first side.

[0170] The reaction zone may have a reaction zone width, which is defined as the distance between the electrode needles of the electrode bed and the reaction surface of the overflow plate facing the electrode needles, and the reaction zone width varies with the length of the reaction zone. In addition, the reaction zone width may decrease in the flow direction of the source fluid through the reaction zone.

[0171] The fluid supplier may supply the source fluid into the reaction zone in a direction opposite to a direction in which the water supplier supplies water to the reaction zone.

[0172] The electrode needles of the electrode bed may be coated with a deposition material comprising one or more of nickel, tungsten, boron, copper and carbon. For example, the electrode needles of the electrode bed may be coated with a deposition material comprising nickel greater than 50% by weight of the deposition material, tungsten 3% to 6% by weight of the deposition material, boron 1% to 3% by weight of the deposition material, copper 0.5% to 1% by weight of the deposition material and carbon 1% to 3.5% by weight of the deposition material.

[0173] The elemental composition may include one or more elements selected from carbon, sulfur, nitrogen, lead, iron and zinc. For example, the elemental composition may include allotropes of carbon and / or sulfur.

[0174] The surface of the electrode bed may be planar and / or the surface of the overflow level may be planar.

[0175] Systems comprising the apparatus described herein may also be provided.

[0176] In an exemplary embodiment, the system includes a housing and a plurality of devices disposed within the housing, each device including an electrode bed and an overflow plate, the electrode bed including a plurality of conductive electrode needles protruding from a surface of the electrode bed, wherein the electrode needles are coupled to a voltage source; the overflow plate is spaced from the electrode bed and includes a surface on which water flows along the overflow plate in operation, wherein the electrode needles extend toward the surface of the overflow plate, and a reaction zone is defined at a space between the overflow plate surface and the electrode needles protruding from the electrode bed. The system also includes a water supply and a fluid supply, the water supply recirculating the water flow along the surface of the overflow plate of each device within the housing, the water supply also including a reservoir that separates compounds and / or elemental materials from the water before recirculating the water to the surface of the overflow plate of each device within the housing; the fluid supply providing a source fluid including impurities entrained in the fluid to an inlet of each device within the housing for delivery to the reaction zone and for processing the fluid by each device within the housing. The system also includes a purified fluid delivery structure that receives the treated and purified fluid from the reaction zone of each device in the housing and facilitates the delivery of the treated and purified fluid out of the housing. In the operation of applying a voltage source to the electrode needles, water from the water supply flows along the surface of the overflow plate, the source fluid flows through the reaction zone, and impurities entrained in the source fluid are removed and converted into elemental components, which are entrained in the water and separated from the water in the reservoir.

[0177] In the system, the devices may be arranged in parallel with respect to the flow of the source fluid to the devices within the housing. The devices may also be arranged in series with respect to the flow of the source fluid within the housing.

[0178] Each device within the shell may also include a pair of electrode beds and corresponding overflow plates, wherein the first electrode bed and the corresponding first overflow plate of each device are located on the first side of the device, and the second electrode bed and the corresponding second overflow plate of each device are located on the second side of the device, which is opposite to the first side.

[0179] The system may also include an air curtain structure that forces air toward an inlet of each device, where a source fluid is provided by a fluid supplier, so as to direct the source fluid toward the first side and the second side of each device and into each reaction zone located between the first electrode bed and the corresponding first overflow plate of each device and between the second electrode bed and the corresponding second overflow plate of each device.

[0180] In a further exemplary embodiment, a method for removing compounds from a fluid medium and converting at least some of the compounds into elemental substances includes directing water to flow along the surface of an overflow plate within an apparatus, applying electrical energy to a plurality of conductive electrode needles protruding from a plane of an electrode bed, wherein the electrode bed is aligned with the overflow plate so that the electrode needles extend toward the overflow plate surface, defining a reaction zone at a space provided and separated between the overflow plate and the electrode needles protruding from the electrode bed, and directing a source fluid into the reaction zone defined between the overflow plate surface and the electrode needles protruding from the electrode bed. The electrical energy is applied to the electrode needles at a pulse frequency greater than 24,000 Hertz (Hz) and a negative voltage of 30 kilovolts (kV) to 100 kV to remove impurities entrained in the source fluid and convert the removed impurities into elemental components that are entrained in the water flowing along the overflow plate surface.

[0181] In the method, the elemental component may include one or more elements selected from carbon, sulfur, nitrogen, lead, iron and zinc. For example, the elemental component may include allotropes of carbon and / or sulfur.

[0182] The method may further include forming hydroxyl radicals with the elemental component during directing the source fluid to the reaction zone while applying electrical energy to the electrode needles.

[0183] In the method, the electrical energy may further be applied at a pulse frequency of 0.1 MHz to 10 MHz.

[0184] In the method, the surface of the electrode bed may be planar and / or the surface of the overflow level may be planar.

[0185] All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.

[0186] Unless otherwise specified herein or clearly contradictory to the context, the use of the terms "one", "an" and "the" and similar references in the context of describing the present invention (especially in the context of the following claims) should be interpreted as covering the singular and plural. Unless otherwise specified, the terms "include", "have", "include" and "include" should be interpreted as open terms (i.e., meaning "including but not limited to") unless otherwise specified herein. Unless otherwise specified herein, the reference to the value range herein is intended only as a shorthand method for individually citing each individual value falling within the range, and each individual value is incorporated into the specification as if it is individually quoted herein. Unless otherwise specified herein or clearly contradictory to the context, all methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order. The use of any and all examples or exemplary language (e.g., "for example") provided herein is intended only to better illustrate the present invention and will not limit the scope of the present invention unless otherwise required. Any language in the specification should not be interpreted as indicating that any unclaimed element is essential to the practice of the present invention.

[0187] Preferred embodiments of the present invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventor for carrying out the present invention. Variations of these preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the above description. The inventor expects that skilled technicians will appropriately adopt such variations, and the inventor hopes that the present invention can be practiced in a manner different from that specifically described herein. Therefore, the present invention includes all modifications and equivalents to the subject matter described in the appended claims as permitted by applicable law. In addition, unless otherwise specified herein or clearly contradicted by the context, any combination of the above elements in all possible variations thereof is included in the present invention.

[0188] The present invention is intended to cover modifications and variations of the present invention as long as they are within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. It should be understood that terms that may be used herein, such as "top", "bottom", "front", "back", "side", "height", "length", "width", "upper", "lower", "interior", "exterior", etc., are only used to describe reference points and do not limit the present invention to any particular orientation or configuration.

Claims

1. An apparatus for removing compounds from a fluid medium and converting at least some of the compounds into elemental substances, the apparatus comprising: an electrode bed, the electrode bed comprising a plurality of conductive electrode needles protruding from a surface of the electrode bed, wherein the electrode needles are coupled to a voltage source; an overflow plate spaced apart from the electrode needles of the electrode bed and comprising a surface on which water flows in operation, wherein the electrode needles extend toward the surface of the overflow plate, and a reaction zone is defined as a space disposed between and separating the surface of the overflow plate from the electrode needles protruding from the electrode bed; a water supplier that provides a water flow into the reaction zone along a surface of the overflow plate; a fluid supplier including an inlet for providing a source fluid into the reaction zone, the source fluid including impurities entrained in the fluid, and an outlet for facilitating delivery of a purified fluid from the reaction zone, the purified fluid having less impurities entrained in the source fluid relative to the source fluid; and a power source for applying electric energy to the electrode needle at a pulse frequency greater than 24,000 Hz and a negative voltage of 30 kilovolts (kV) to 100 kV; Wherein, in the operation of the power supply applying electrical energy to the electrode needle, water from the water supplier flows along the surface of the overflow plate, and the source fluid flows through the reaction zone, and impurities carried in the source fluid are removed and converted into elemental components carried in the water.

2. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a housing for accommodating the electrode bed and the overflow plate, wherein: The overflow plate and the electrode bed are generally arranged vertically and at an angle relative to the height dimension of the housing.

3. The apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a pair of electrode beds and corresponding overflow plates, wherein: The first electrode bed and the corresponding first overflow plate are located at a first side of the housing, and the second electrode bed and the corresponding second overflow plate are located at a second side of the housing, the second side being opposite to the first side.

4. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The reaction zone width of the reaction zone is defined as the distance between the electrode needles of the electrode bed and the reaction surface of the overflow plate facing the electrode needles, and the reaction zone width varies with the length of the reaction zone.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein: The reaction zone width decreases in the direction of flow of the source fluid through the reaction zone.

6. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein: The fluid supplier supplies the source fluid to the reaction zone in a direction opposite to the direction in which the water supplier supplies water into the reaction zone.

7. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein: The electrode needles of the electrode bed are coated with a deposition material including one or more of nickel, tungsten, boron, copper and carbon.

8. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The electrode needles of the electrode bed are coated with a deposition material, which contains nickel, tungsten, boron, copper and carbon, wherein the amount of nickel is greater than 50% of the weight of the deposition material, the amount of tungsten is 3% to 6% of the weight of the deposition material, the amount of boron is 1% to 3% of the weight of the deposition material, the amount of copper is 0.5% to 1% of the weight of the deposition material, and the amount of carbon is 1% to 3.5% of the weight of the deposition material.

9. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein: The elemental components include one or more elements selected from the group consisting of carbon, sulfur, nitrogen, lead, iron, and zinc.

10. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein: The elemental components include allotropes of carbon and / or sulfur.

11. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein: The surface of the electrode bed is planar and / or the surface of the overflow level is planar.

12. A system comprising the apparatus of any preceding claim.

13. A system comprising: case; A plurality of devices are arranged in the housing, each device comprising: an electrode bed configured to include a plurality of conductive electrode needles protruding from a surface of the electrode bed, wherein the electrode needles are coupled to a voltage source; and an overflow plate spaced from the electrode bed and including a surface on which water flows along the overflow plate in operation, wherein the electrode needles extend toward the surface of the overflow plate, and a reaction zone is defined at a space disposed between and separating the surface of the overflow plate from the electrode needles protruding from the electrode bed; a water supply that recirculates water along the surface of the overflow plate of each device within the housing, the water supply also including a reservoir that separates chemical compounds and / or elemental materials from the water before recirculating the water to the surface of the overflow plate of each device within the housing; and a fluid supplier that provides a source fluid including impurities entrained in the fluid to an inlet of each device within the housing for delivery to the reaction zone and processing of the fluid by each device within the housing; and a purified fluid delivery structure that receives treated and purified fluid from the reaction zone of each device within the housing and facilitates delivery of the treated and purified fluid out of the housing; In which, in the operation of applying a voltage source to the electrode needle, water from the water supplier flows along the surface of the overflow plate, and the source fluid flows through the reaction zone, and impurities carried in the source fluid are removed and converted into elemental components, which are carried in the water and separated from the water in the reservoir.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein: The devices are arranged in parallel with respect to the flow of the source fluid to the devices within the housing.

15. The system according to any one of claims 13 and 14, wherein: The devices are arranged in series with respect to the flow of the source fluid to the devices within the housing.

16. A system according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein: Each device in the shell also includes a pair of electrode beds and corresponding overflow plates, wherein the first electrode bed and the corresponding first overflow plate of each device are located on the first side of the device, and the second electrode bed and the corresponding second overflow plate of each device are located on the second side of the device, and the second side is opposite to the first side.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising: An air curtain structure that forces air toward an inlet of each device where the source fluid is provided by the fluid supplier so as to direct the source fluid toward the first side and the second side of each device and into each reaction zone between the first electrode bed and the corresponding first overflow plate of each device and between the second electrode bed and the corresponding second overflow plate of each device.

18. A method of removing compounds from a fluid medium and converting at least some of the compounds into elemental species, the method comprising: Directing water to flow along the surface of the overflow plate within the device; applying electrical energy to a plurality of conductive electrode needles protruding from a plane of an electrode bed, wherein the electrode bed is aligned with the overflow plate such that the electrode needles extend toward a surface of the overflow plate, and a reaction zone is defined at a space disposed between and separating the surface of the overflow plate and the electrode needles protruding from the electrode bed; and While applying electrical energy to the electrode needles at a pulse frequency greater than 24,000 Hz and a negative voltage of 30 kilovolts (kV) to 100 kV, the source fluid is directed into the reaction zone defined between the surface of the overflow plate and the electrode needles protruding from the electrode bed to remove impurities entrained in the source fluid and convert the removed impurities into elemental components, which are entrained in the water flowing along the surface of the overflow plate.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein: The elemental components include one or more elements selected from the group consisting of carbon, sulfur, nitrogen, lead, iron, and zinc.

20. The method according to any one of claims 18 and 19, wherein: The elemental components include allotropes of carbon and / or sulfur.

21. The method of any one of claims 18 to 20, further comprising forming hydroxyl radicals with elemental components during directing the source fluid to the reaction zone while applying electrical energy to the electrode needles.

22. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 21, wherein: The electrical energy is also applied at a pulse frequency of 0.1 MHz to 10 MHz.

23. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 22, wherein: The surface of the electrode bed is planar and / or the surface of the overflow level is planar.

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