Pilot scale degradation of mono and multi volatile organic compounds by surface discharge plasma/TiO2 reactor: Investigation of competition and synergism

This paper mainly deals with the isovaleraldehyde degradation with the help of a nonthermal plasma surface discharge (NPSD) coupled with photocatalysis. The efficiency of NPSD reactor, for gas treatment, was studied for different binary mixtures: (1) mixture of aldehydes (Isovaleraldehyde and Butyraldehyde) and (2) mixture of aldehyde and amine (Isovaleraldehyde and Trimethylamine). A planar continuous reactor is used to investigate the effect of addition of another pollutant on the performance of oxidation process. A synergetic effect was observed by combining NPSD and photocatalysis for the degradation of mixture of pollutants. In addition, combined NPSD/photocatalysis has significantly enhanced the CO2 selectivity, as compared to NPSD alone. This is attributed to the formation of more reactive species due to the presence of TiO2 in the plasma discharge zone. Moreover, ozone and UV light on TiO2, produced by plasma, have activated the surface leading to enhanced mineralization. In addition, the byproducts of each binary mixture were identified and evaluated.