Decomposition of toluene with a multi-string dielectric barrier discharge reactor

Dielectric barrier discharge is an effective method for producing non-thermal plasma. To enlarge the range of corona and enhance the ability of removing volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a new efficient apparatus "multi-string non-thermal plasma reactor" for gas treatment in ambient conditions is developed. This paper tests the effects of reactor structure, electric field intensity, frequency, and gas flow rate on the decomposition efficiency of toluene. The relationship between the applied voltage and the currency in the reactor is also analyzed. Experimental results show that the reactor structure has significant effect on the removal of VOCs. Increasing the number of high voltage electrodes can enhance the removal efficiency. The currency increases with the enhancement of the applied voltage. The removal efficiency of toluene enhances with increasing electric field intensity, and lowers with increasing gas flow rate. The removal efficiency enhances with higher frequency; however, the effect of which is lower than that of the electric field intensity.