Plasma-catalysis destruction of aromatics for environmental clean-up: Effect of temperature and configuration

• Published in: Applied catalysis. B, Environmental Vol. 82; no. 3-4; pp. 180 - 189
• Main Authors: Harling, Alice M., Demidyuk, Vladimir, Fischer, Stuart J., Whitehead, J. Christopher
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 08-08-2008; Elsevier
• Subjects: Alumina; Benzene; Catalysis; Chemistry; Exact sciences and technology; General and physical chemistry; Non-thermal plasma; Plasma-catalysis; Theory of reactions, general kinetics. Catalysis. Nomenclature, chemical documentation, computer chemistry; Titania; Toluene; Non-thermal plasma; Plasma-catalysis; Benzene; Toluene; Catalysis; Titania; Alumina; Plasma; Binary compound; Destruction; Atmospheric pressure; Plasma reactor; Efficiency; Catalyst support; Aluminium oxide; Packed bed; Catalytic reaction; Hydrocarbon; Transition element compounds; Air; Heterogeneous catalysis; Pollutant; Benzenic compound; Environmental effect; Titanium oxide; Catalyst; Environmental protection
• ISSN: 0926-3373; 1873-3883
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apcatb.2008.01.017

A non-thermal, atmospheric pressure, packed-bed plasma reactor has been used to study the effect of temperature on the plasma-catalytic destruction of toluene and benzene in air using two catalyst positions. TiO2 and γ-Al2O3 supports, and Ag (0.5wt.%) impregnated catalysts of both supports, were used to determine their effects. The reactor (in the one-stage configuration) or the downstream catalyst (in the two-stage arrangement) could be heated to ∼600°C and the destruction efficiencies for toluene and benzene were determined. Plasma catalysis is more effective at destroying benzene and toluene than both conventional thermal-catalysis and plasma alone. Toluene is destroyed much more efficiently than benzene, regardless of the temperature of the system and the reactor configuration. A one-stage, plasma-catalysis configuration is found to be more effective at destroying both toluene and benzene than a two-stage configuration. Plasma catalysis offers no advantage over thermal catalysis for destroying both pollutants in the two-stage configuration.