Decomposition of toluene with plasma-catalysis: a review

Abstract

Non-thermal plasma (NTP) generated at atmospheric pressure has been widely applied to abate the harmful emission of gaseous pollutants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These studies have proven the existence of some drawbacks that hinder commercialization, such as a low energy efficiency and mineralization degree with the formation of undesired byproducts as a consequence. Recently, NTP has successfully been combined with catalysis in an attempt to solve these issues through complex interacting mechanisms. Toluene can be regarded as being the most frequent studied VOC for removal with plasma-catalysis on laboratory scale. Therefore, this paper aims at reviewing the current research on this model VOC