Prospects for non-thermal atmospheric plasmas for pollution abatement

For approximately the past ten years, atmospheric pressure non-thermal plasmas have been increasingly promoted as a technology for a number of applications in the area of pollution abatement. In such plasmas, the electrons have a significantly higher temperature compared to the ions, atoms and molecules. This paper provides an overview of both the technologies involved and the diverse potential application areas. A general description of these atmospheric plasmas and the basic principles involved in the destruction or removal of gaseous phase pollutants, based on the nature of the processes taking place within these plasmas, are given. A number of examples of the different plasma technologies are described. The technologies described are pulsed corona, microwave and dielectric barrier plasmas. Their suitability and use in various application areas are also discussed including incinerator off gas treatment, industrial process off gas treatment and diesel exhaust aftertreatment. The use of modelling of the physical and chemical processes involved to predict system performance and as a tool for sizing systems to meet customer requirements is also discussed.