Plug-and-play plasma: decentralised water decontamination for developing countries

Abstract Water sustainability in developing countries is challenged by pollution and inadequate infrastructure, necessitating decontamination strategies for resource-limited settings. Plasma technology has emerged as a decentralised approach, enabling generation of reactive species to degrade heterogeneous contaminants without chemical additives. Reactor modularity supports compatibility with renewable power. Translation remains limited by mechanistic uncertainty, inefficient species utilisation, by-product formation, and scaling and maintenance constraints. This Perspective outlines pathways to advance plasma-enabled water decontamination.