Discharge characteristics and abatement of volatile organic compounds using plasma reactor packed with ceramic Raschig rings

• VOCs abatement by dielectric barrier discharges and its electrical characteristics were studied.
• Equivalent capacitance of the gap decreased with applied voltage.
• Equivalent capacitance of the dielectric barrier increased and stabilized at about 700 pF.
• Toluene abatement was enhanced to 97% against 48% by Raschig rings padding.
• The energy yield was remarkably improved from 5 to 10 g/kWh by the padding.

Discharge characteristics and abatement of volatile organic compounds using plasma reactor packed with ceramic Raschig rings were investigated. It was found that the gap equivalent capacitance decreased with increasing voltage while the dielectric barrier equivalent capacitance increased initially and stabilized at about 700 pF. Compared with empty reactor, toluene removal was significantly enhanced by ceramic Raschig rings, 97% against 48%. With respect to the energy yield in the presence of padding, the efficiency was remarkably improved up to 10 g/kWh, which was 2 times higher than that of 5 g/kWh in the absence of padding with removal ratio exceeding 50%.