Effect of zeolite in surface discharge plasma on the decomposition of toluene

Toluene was decomposed in a surface discharge plasma reactor packed with various zeolites. The positioning effect of the zeolite bed was also investigated Reactor-B, in which the zeolite bed was located upstream, performed much better than Reactor-A, in which the zeolite bed was located downstream. Furthermore, the decomposition efficiency in Reactor-B increased with the capacity for toluene adsorption on zeolite, while that in Reactor-A did not. The toluene adsorbed in micropores was not decomposed effectively by direct electron impact, but was decomposed by active oxygen species generated in the plasma zone on the zeolite surface. A good correlation was also observed between toluene decomposition and ozone consumption in the downward-type reactor.