Decomposition of Volatile Organic Compounds and Environmental Hazardous Substances in Water using Discharge Plasma

Recent works for the decomposition of gaseous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and environmental hazardous substances in water using discharge plasma are encapsulated. The kinds of reactors used for the decomposition of VOCs, the decomposition characteristics of VOCs by the reactors and the effects of the discharge type, applied voltage, etc. on VOCs decomposition are briefly described. Further, the detailed investigation of by-products from benzene, toluene and xylene and the estimation of decomposition path of acetone by discharge plasma treatment are introduced as works which contribute to the design of VOC-decomposition reactors and to assuring the safety of VOCs decomposition by the discharge plasma.For the decomposition of environmental hazardous substances in water by discharge plasma, the treatment of aqueous phenol solution and organic dyes are focused. The effects of sparging gas, the conductivity of the solution, background-gas composition, etc. on phenol decomposition rate are described, and the mechanism that the species contributing phenol decomposition change with the background-gas composition is illustrated in detail. Recent works to clarify the by-products of phenol are also introduced. For the decomposition rate of organic dyes, the effects of pH of solution, background-gas composition, etc. on the decomposition rate and the species contributing the decomposition are shown. Further, the efficiency difference for organic-dye decomposition due to the kinds of discharge plasma reactor is introduced.