Atmospheric Discharge Combined with Cu-Mn/Al_2O_3 Catalyst Unit for the Removal of Toluene

journal article - other

English

A new type of DC atmospheric pressure glow discharge combined with thermal catalyst was applied to the removal of volatile organic compounds (VOC). Our plasma reactor closed in the discharge chamber consists of a rectangular shaped duct, in which five pins and a plate with spherical craters are positioned. The inter-electrode distance is 12,7 mm. The discharge was initiated at high voltage up to 20 kV and applied current up to 3 mA. Technologies based on non-thermal plasmas could offer a good alternative to conventional techniques for the treatment of VOC. Not all of those techniques are capable of total VOC destruction. Moreover, undesirable mixture of toxic by-products can be formed. Therefore, efforts are made to further increase the removal fraction by combining non-thermal plasma with a catalytic unit. A Cu-Mn/Al_2O_3 thermal catalyst (operated temperatures up to 300 C) is placed in series with a discharge chamber. In this study, inlet concentration range of toluene was stable at 45 ppm, no influence of the toluene admixture was observed on the threshold currents. The highest removal efficiency detected was about 96 % (temperature 300 C; voltage 17,9 kV; current 2,5 mA). The energy efficiency of the toluene removal process and the existence of a synergistic effect of the combined application of plasma and catalysis were investigated, with the aim to operate the catalyst at a lower temperature, i.e. at a lower energy cost. We tried to explain some plasmochemical processes, such as consignable influence of generated ozone on the final VOC concentration as well.

electrical discharge, catalyst, volatile organic compounds

GROSSMANNOVÁ, H.; NIERYNCK, D.; LEAS, C.

2006

26. 6. 2006

AV ČR

Praha

0011-4626

Czechoslovak Journal of Physics

56

B

Czech Republic

1156

1161

6