Removal of phenol (C6H5OH) by non-thermal plasma (NTP) technology, including NTP-alone and plasma catalysis was investigated. For NTP-alone system, C6H5OH removal efficiency increases with increasing input voltage and gas residence time. C6H5OH removal efficiency achieved with DBD reaches 100% as 18.75 kV is applied. The inlet C6H5OH concentration was 300 ppm while the total flow rate was fixed at 0.6 L/m.
The influence of water vapor is also explored. In the presence of H2O(g), the C6H5OH removal efficiency and energy efficiency increase, because •OH radical generated can react with C6H5OH. On the other hand, C6H5OH removal efficiency achieved with plasma catalysis increased from 63 to 82% at same condition (flow rate: 0.6 L/min, voltage: 15 kV, frequency: 110 Hz and H2O(g): 0%). Obviously, C6H5OH removal efficiency can be significantly enhanced as catalyst is added into the NTP system. In addition, it is noteworthy that CO2 selectivity significantly increases compared with that of DBD alone.
