PFC abatement technology using plasma assisted catalytic technology (PACT). Effect of electrode shape and catalyst

Summary form only given, as follows. A chemical reactor was newly designed using plasma assisted catalytic technology (PACT) to investigate the feasibility of decomposing perfluorocompound (PFC) like CF/sub 4/ as a means of reducing or disposing of gases that damage the environment and cause global warming. The concept of the PACT chemical reactor is based on the synergy of plasma excitation and catalytic activation at one atmospheric pressure. Reactant gases pass through a narrow gap between an inner electrode plated with Cu, Pd, or Pt in a glass tube and an outer electrode (Al). A dielectric discharge is induced by a low frequency power supply. Examination of dependencies on voltages, currents, frequencies, metals of configuration of PACT or a kind of discharge was carried out in the mixed gas conditions of c-C/sub 4/F/sub 8/ /N/sub 2/ = 0.5-2.0 sccm / 0.5-2.0 slm per one reactor. The c-C/sub 4/F/sub 8/ concentrations in the exhaust gas were measured by FT-IR. Byproducts after the c-C/sub 4/F/sub 8/ decomposition were also investigated. The maximum decomposition rate of c-C/sub 4/F/sub 8/ showed around 40% changing the above factors in the case of the conventional PACT reactor. The revised PACT with the porous Cu metal and optical catalyst (SiO/sub 2/+TiO/sub 2/) applied to the inner electrode showed more than 60% about this decomposition rate. This work was supported by NEDO.