Research on removal of dilute gaseous toluene using dielectric barrier discharge with TiO2 photocatalyst

The paper made a research on synergetic effect of dilute toluene decomposition using dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma and photocatalysis. The effect of grounding electrodes, voltage, gas relative humidity and TiO₂ photocatalyst on toluene removal was studied. The results indicated that the removal of toluene is greatly enhanced by photocatalysis, O₃ concentration is efficiently eliminated in the presence of TiO₂ photocatalyst. DBD reactor with copper band showed a better toluene removal effect than that with stainless steel mesh, but the former is inferior to the latter with respect to energy yield (EY). For optimal toluene removal efficiency, relative humidity in flow gas should be paid more attention, 30% may as well. To avoid the second pollution caused by NOx, the applied voltage should be a little lower than 20kV.