Study on the Degradation Mechanism of Pollutants Using Nonthermal Atmospheric Plasma Synergized Supported by Catalyst

The nonthermal plasma (NTP) technology is gaining a lot of attention in the field of air purification and is thought to be a viable way for reducing volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In this work, we choose three gaseous pollutants, benzene, toluene, and m-xylene (BTX), and check their degradation efficiency with respect to different catalysts in an argon atmosphere in a co-axial DBD reactor. After plasma treatment, the various gaseous and surface deposited by-products are studied by different spectroscopic techniques such as OES, GC, GCMS, and FTIR, and the corresponding result is analyzed through Gaussian Software. Using GCMS, FTIR, and OES data, we are able to predict various degradation pathways, and through theoretical analysis, the most feasible path can be predicted for decomposition. The decomposition efficiency of VOC removal is higher in the case of Toluene in comparison to m-xylene and benzene both without and with a catalyst. For our case, we use BaTiO3 and MnO2 catalysts among which BaTiO3 shows better degradation efficiency. The conversion efficiency of BTX reached 87.7%, 99.2%, and 93% respectively with the BaTiO3 catalyst. The surface deposited products get oxidized in the presence of a catalyst so we get very less by-products and through various steps they majorly break down to CO2, CO, H2O, hydrocarbons, and other less harmful products. These results would be beneficial for the abatement of gaseous pollutants using NTP which is a safe, cost-effective, and green method.