Non-thermal plasma based decomposition of volatile organic compounds in industrial exhaust gases

The decomposition of various volatile organic compounds (VOCs), namely butyl acetate, styrene, and methanol, by means of non-thermal plasma technology was investigated in different industrial exhaust gases. Although a great deal of effort on the investigation of these VOCs can be found in literature, data regarding the application in real exhaust gases are missing and provided in this contribution. Measurements were performed in an oil shale processing plant in Estonia and in a yacht hall production site in Poland. Up to 71 % of butyl acetate at a specific input energy (SIE) of about 220 J/L and more than 74 % of styrene and methanol at SIE>300 J/L were decomposed. The energy efficiency of the decomposition processes was analyzed as well as the products formed by the plasma process. Energy constants of k_E<9.85 L/kJ for butyl acetate and k_E<2.75 L/kJ for styrene and methanol were obtained. Most of the VOCs were partly oxidized to carbon monoxide and, to lesser extent, totally oxidized to carbon dioxide.

Keywords
Non-thermal plasma; Dielectric barrier discharge; Exhaust gas; VOC; Decomposition; Pollution control; Industrial scale