The efficient removal of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) from contaminated water remains a challenge due to the very stable carbon?fluorine bonds in perfluorinated compounds.In this experiment,nanosecond pulsed dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma was used to degrade PFOA,a difficult?to?degrade organic pollutant in water,and the effects of discharge parameters such as discharge atmosphere,discharge power,gas flow rate,and liquid flow rate,as well as the reaction conditions,on the removal rate of PFOA were investigated in the reaction.The experimental results showed that under the conditions of the discharge atmosphere of argon,discharge power of 11.84 W,gas flow rate of 3.33 L/min,and liquid flow rate of 0.28 L/min,DBD had a better degradation effect on PFOA,and the removal rate could reach more than 94.0% after 60 min of reaction.Combined with emission spectroscopy and free radical burst analysis,it was determined that e^-,?OH,H₂O₂, and O₃ were the main active species to break the molecular structure of PFOA and realize the efficient degradation of the reactants,and thus could provide an effective solution for the removal of PFOA in water.