Critical role of reactive species in the degradation of VOC in a plasma honeycomb catalyst reactor

Abstract

This paper reports the nature of the reactive species formed and their role in the degradation of methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) using plasma catalysis in a honeycomb monolith reactor. A series of experiments were performed using plasma with different discharge gases (i.e., N2, O2, or air) in the presence of the honeycomb catalyst. A novel method is introduced to identify the reactive species that form during the plasma process and their contribution. We found the role of O atoms to be dominant compared with that of other reactive species in the plasma catalytic removal of MEK. In addition, the effect of introducing O3 over the catalyst surface was investigated, with oxygen activation resulting from surface chemisorption mainly contributing to MEK oxidation. Analysis of the byproducts enabled us to propose possible reaction mechanisms for the oxidation of MEK in the air plasma catalytic reactor.