Decomposition of gas-phase benzene using hybrid systems of a non-thermal plasma and catalysts

This paper presents the decomposition of gas-phase benzene using a plasma-driven catalyst (PDC) reactor packed with Ag/TiO2. The amount of catalyst did not affect the decomposition of benzene or the selectivities of CO and CO2 in the PDC reactor. The decomposition of benzene was mostly determined by the specific input energy (SIE). The main gas-phase products of benzene decomposition were CO and CO2. At lower SIE, a trace amount of formic acid was detected as a minor product. The carbon balance, based on the sum of CO and CO2, also indicated that no other intermediates were formed in the decomposition of benzene using the PDC reactor. In comparison to the conventional pulsed corona discharge reactor and surface discharge reactor, nanometer-sized aerosol formation from the decomposition of benzene was negligible with the PDC reactor, which was also supported by the carbon balance data. The formation of N2O was slightly lower with a larger amount of Ag/TiO2 catalyst.