Reaction Behavior of Toluene–Dichloromethane Mixture in Nonthermal Plasma

The reaction behavior of mixed dichloromethane (CH₂Cl₂) and toluene in nonthermal plasma was investigated with a ferroelectric packed-bed reactor. The decomposition efficiencies of 109 ppm CH₂Cl₂ and 100 ppm toluene were not affected by mixing in the presence of O₂. In the decomposition of CH₂Cl₂ and toluene, CO₂ selectivity increased with O₂ content. The higher the CO_x yield, the lower the CO₂ selectivity. In N₂, cyanides were detected as byproducts from CH₂Cl₂ and toluene, organic chlorides from CH₂Cl₂, and benzene from toluene. However, no mixing effect was observed in the byproduct formation. The number and amounts of the byproducts decreased with an increase of O₂ content in the background gas. In the presence of O₂, formic acid was transiently formed from CH₂Cl₂, but its amount decreased with the increase in reactor energy density. No oxygen-containing byproducts were newly detected.