A study on propane depletion by surface dielectric barrier discharges

A study of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) depletion using a plasma system based on a surface dielectric barrier discharge SDBD has been carried out. The analysis of the temporal evolution of VOCs permitted to estimate the corresponding dissociation rates as a function of the relevant parameters and to demonstrate the ability of SDBD in the abatement of large VOC concentrations up to 9,300 ppm. The depletion rate increases as a function of plasma power and concentration for propane, pentane and acetone. The efficiency evaluated as quantity of propane per unit of energy takes values between 2 and 7.5 g/kWh. A comparison between propane, pentane and acetone, exploits that propane efficiency is higher than of those pentane and acetone. On the basis of this study SDBD is a promising plasma source for VOCs abatement at high concentrations.