Non-Thermal Plasmas for VOCs Abatement

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are some of the most common air pollutants emitted from commercial and industrial processes; VOCs may also reduce indoor air quality. Increased environmental awareness, however, has resulted in stringent regulations controlling VOCs emission and has motivated researchers to develop various kinds of treatment. Non-thermal plasma (NTP) processes are regarded as promising methods for VOCs abatement. This paper reviews the state of the art and achievements of NTP for VOCs abatement and includes a description of several reactor configurations based on different discharge principles. Of particular interest are NTP-catalytic systems, characterized by higher energy efficiencies and lower byproduct production than the NTP-alone systems. Physical-chemical effects of NTP-catalytic systems occurring during plasma catalytic processes are discussed. The NTP decomposition mechanisms for toluene, naphthalene and trichloroethylene are discussed in detail. Influences of various processing parameters are summarized, and comments are given based on removal efficiencies and operational costs.