Removal of Indoor Air Contaminant by Atmospheric Microplasma

Microplasma has advantages of reducing the power and downsizing the entire plasma system. Decomposition of formaldehyde (HCHO) by a microplasma reactor was demonstrated for improving indoor air quality. One experimental investigation used a one-pass treatment (5 L/min), and the second used a large-volume treatment (1500 L/min). The removal ratio of HCHO (initial concentration of 0.8 ppm) in the one-pass treatment was 96% at a discharge voltage of 1.3 kV using a high-voltage (HV) amplifier and a Marx generator with MOSFET switches as pulsed-power supplies. In the case of using the Marx generator, there was no generation. The removal ratio of HCHO (initial concentration of 0.5 ppm) in the large-volume treatment after 60 min was 51% at 1.2 kV when using the HV amplifier and considering 41% natural decay ratio of HCHO. The removal ratio was 54% at 1.2 kV with the Marx generator, and the natural decay ratio was 44% after 60 min of treatment.