Upscaling of a Surface Dielectric Barrier Discharge for Air Purification*

Hazardous microorganisms or toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are common pollutants in industrial or ambient air. These contaminants can be a risk for the environment and human health and are currently challenging to remove. Conventional air purifying systems that are used in the industry or as indoor cleaners have still several disadvantages and, therefore, there is a demand for new methods.

 

A twin surface dielectric barrier discharge (SDBD) is well studied in the literature and shows great potential for air cleaning. In this study, a novel scaled-up SDBD reactor is presented, which is more suitable for air purification at industrial scales than previous used SDBD reactors. This reactor is capable of treating gas flows of up to 500 slm (standard litres per minute) and measurements with special regard to the VOC conversion and bacteria inactivation are performed.

 

The conversion of butoxyethanol and n-butane as a function of the energy density is investigated. Complementary schlieren images show that the discharges perturb the overflowing air and that additional metal plate inserts influence the flow dynamics. Additionally, airborne Micrococcus luteus bacteria can be inactivated by our system, opening up further potential applications in the field of hygiene.