Catalytic non-thermal plasma reactor for stripping the VOCs from air

Stripping of a mixture of volatile organic compounds containing dilute toluene, 1,4-dioxane and n-hexane from air was studied in a non-thermal plasma reactor operated in a dielectric barrier discharge configuration. Catalyst integration to plasma was carried out by depositing 5 wt% of MnOx and CoOx on the inner electrode, sintered metal fibres (SMF). Experimental results indicated that the removal efficiency of VOCs followed the order: toluene > n-hexane > 1,4-dioxane; and MnOx/SMF showed better performance compared to CoOx/SMF, probably due its ability for ozone decomposition leading to the formation of atomic oxygen. Water vapour further enhanced the performance that may be assigned due to the formation of OH radicals.