Emission control of volatile organic compounds by electron beam

Summary form only given. Many industrial processes discharge large volumes of waste gases containing low concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOC). It is meanwhile accepted that the emissions of VOC are responsible for the formation of the photochemical smog. Moreover the toxicity of chlorinated compounds requires a strict emission control. Conventional cleaning processes such as combustion or adsorption are often not suitable for the cleaning of these off gases, since these processes cause high energy consumption especially for low concentration conditions. Meanwhile new methods for the cleaning of low-concentration waste air are being developed, among them non-thermal plasma technologies. Treatment of waste air with accelerated electrons decomposes efficiently VOC at ambient temperatures. This method generates OH-radicals in the gas phase, which rapidly oxidize the pollutants. According to our laboratory studies the process yields gaseous and particulate products which can be removed from the offgas by suitable filter systems. The advantages of this method, when compared with conventional processes are its low energy consumption and the simultaneous high removal efficiencies for many different compounds. In this paper we review the experimental and theoretical results of our R&D program, which aims at the demonstration and industrial application of this process. We describe and discuss firstly the experimental results obtained in laboratory studies aimed at the gas phase oxidation of selected organic solvents testers, aromatic compounds and chlorinated hydrocarbons) and solvent mixtures.