The simultaneous catalytic removal of VOCs and O3 in a post-plasma

The use of non-thermal plasma (NTP) technology for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) control has been limited because of its drawbacks. Although the combination of catalysis in plasma can avoid some of the limitations, there are still disadvantages such as the O3 byproduct. In this study, catalysts were combined in the post-plasma. It is found that not only O3 is efficiently eliminated, but also the removal of toluene is greatly enhanced due to O3 decomposition. The effect of catalysts, humidity and the initial O3 concentration on simultaneous catalytic removal of toluene and O3 was studied. Results show that the performance of catalysts for toluene conversion is closely related to that for O3 decomposition. The increase of O3 concentration benefits toluene conversion, whereas water has a negative effect on the toluene conversion. Catalytic ozonation is mainly responsible for the toluene decomposition in the post-plasma.