Comparative assessment of different nonthermal plasma reactors on energy efficiency and aerosol formation from the decomposition of gas-phase benzene

This work presents a comparative assessment of five different types of plasma reactors (pulsed corona, dielectric-barrier discharge (DBD), surface discharge (SD), BaTiO₃ packed-bed reactor, and plasma-driven catalyst (PDC) reactor) using the decomposition of gas-phase benzene. The parameters used in the assessment include energy constant, carbon balance, product selectivity, and nanometer-sized aerosol formation. The DBD reactor, the pulsed corona reactor, and the SD reactor, where the gas-phase chemical reactions prevail, showed similar performance both in the decomposition efficiency and in the aerosol formation. Size distribution and number concentration of the aerosol formed in the SD and the pulsed corona were 10-80 nm and ∼10⁵ particles/cm³, respectively. The PDC reactor showed the highest removal efficiency as well as the highest CO₂ yield. Carbon balances were strongly related to the nanometer-sized aerosol formation. Negligible amounts of aerosol were formed in the BaTiO₃ packed-bed reactor and the PDC reactor packed with Ag/TiO₂ catalyst.