Catalytic non-thermal plasma reactor for total oxidation of volatile organic compounds

A dielectric barrier discharge reactor with inner electrode modified with metal oxides of Ti, Mn and Co has been designed and tested for the oxidation of diluted volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of different nature like toluene, isopropanol and trichloroethylene. It has been observed that at a fixed concentration of VOC, total oxidation of isopropanol is achieved at lower specific input energy compared to toluene and trichloroethylene. Among the catalysts studied, MnOx/SMF shows the best performance, probably due to the formation of active oxygen species by in situ decomposition of ozone on the catalyst surface. The electrodes modified with MnOx and TiO2 catalyst effectively destroy trichloroethylene due to the synergy between plasma excitation of the trichloroethylene molecules and catalytic behaviour. The catalytic process is further enhanced by photocatalysis since TiO2 absorbs UV light produced by the non-thermal plasma.