Performance of an Ozone Decomposition Catalyst in Hybrid Plasma Reactors for Volatile Organic Compound Removal

Abstract

In order to enhance the energy efficiency of nonthermal plasma methods for volatile organic compound decomposition in a catalyst-hybrid plasma reactor, we used a Cu–Cr catalyst to dissociate ozone into active atomic oxygen species at low temperatures. We investigated the conditions necessary to obtain the synergetic effect in single-stage and two-stage combinations. The ozone decomposition catalyst was not effective for the reaction under plasma discharge in the single-stage combination. In the two-stage combination, the efficiency increased by increasing the amount of catalyst. Although the propensity of catalysts for active oxygen species formation from ozone decomposition is important for optimizing the reaction efficiency, the surface area is even more important. We conclude that ozone decomposition catalysts are more effective in the two-stage combination compared to the single-stage.