A SiC DSRD-based pulse generator with sub-nanosecond, high frequency and high-voltage for desulfovibrio sulfate-reducing bacteria ablation.

Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are ubiquitous in industrial wastewater. As a type of slime bacteria, they tend to combine with suspended solids to form slime, interfering the normal operation of purification equipment. As heterotrophic bacteria, they produce harmful gases such as hydrogen sulfide and methane under anaerobic conditions, which not only accelerate equipment corrosion but also further deteriorate water quality. However, current treatment methods for these bacteria are not yet adequate, and traditional methods are often costly and may cause secondary pollution to the water body. In recent years, the scientific community has been actively exploring novel sterilization technologies to effectively address the challenges posed by sulfate-reducing bacteria. Among them, Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) technology stands out due to its unique advantages. By applying high-intensity electric field pulses, PEF technology can cause fatal damage to microbial cells within an extremely short period, manifested as membrane perforation and disruption of cellular structures, ultimately leading to cell death. PEF technology not only exhibits high sterilization efficiency but also ensures the environmental friendliness of the treatment process. Despite the tremendous potential of PEF technology in theory, its practical application research in the field of bacterial purification is still relatively limited. In particular, the effectiveness of high-frequency, narrow-pulse-width PEF on slime heterotrophic bacteria (such as sulfate-reducing bacteria) requires further investigation and experimental validation. To fill this research gap, our team utilized a newly developed pulsed power supply device based on SiC-DSRD to investigate the effects of bio-electromagnetic effects on desulfovibrio sulfate-reducing bacteria (DSRB). This device features an adjustable voltage range (from 5 kV to 1 kV), a pulse width of less than 10 ns, and a maximum frequency of 100 kHz. Experimental results indicate that after treating the sulfate-reducing bacteria solution with this device, the growth rate of the bacteria was less than 9 % after 24 h, whereas the growth rate of bacteria in the same batch and concentration without treatment exceeded 300 %. This study provides strong experimental support for the application of PEF technology in industrial wastewater treatment and expands the methods for bacterial treatment in industrial wastewater.