Synergistic Effect of Nonthermal Plasma and Catalysts on the Decomposition of VOCs

A silent discharge reactor (SDR) or a surface discharge reactor (SFR) was combined with catalysts such as MnO₂, TiO₂-SiO₂ gel, etc. to investigate the synergistic effect of nonthermal plasma (NTP) and catalysts in the decomposition of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as toluene (PhCH₃), dichloromethane and methanol. In the decomposition of PhCH₃ with MnO₂ pellets, the increases of PhCH₃ conversion were observed both in SDR and SFR compared with NTP alone. It was found that the energy efficiency for PhCH₃ conversion was affected by the concentration of ozone decomposed by MnO₂.