The removal of styrene using a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor and the analysis of the by-products and intermediates

As a kind of volatile organic compound, styrene is a typical industrial pollutant with high toxicity and odorous smell. In this study, the removal of malodorous styrene simulation waste gas was carried out in a self-made wire-tube dielectric barrier discharge reactor. The decomposition efficiency of the reaction was investigated under different applied voltages and flow rates. The results showed that nearly 99.6 % of styrene could be removed with a concentration of 3,600 mg/m³ and the applied voltage of 10.8 kV. However, the selectivity of CO₂ and CO showed that the mineralization efficiency of styrene was less than 25 %. The by-products of the reaction, including O₃, NO _x and other intermediates, were also detected and analyzed under different applied voltages. The relationships between the applied voltage and the quantity of final product (CO₂) and by-products (intermediate organics, NO _x , O₃) were investigated. The reaction mechanism was also described according to the bond energy and the intermediates that formed.