Removal of formaldehyde in nitrogen and in dry air by a DBD: importance of temperature and role of nitrogen metastable states

The removal of traces of formaldehyde (150 ppm) in nitrogen and in dry air, at atmospheric pressure, by the filamentary plasma of a dielectric barrier discharge (in a cylindrical geometry) energized by a HV pulse is experimentally studied, at ambient temperature (20 degrees C) and at 300 degrees C. It is found that the pollutant molecule is more efficiently removed in nitrogen than in air at 20 degrees C, whereas it is the opposite at 300 degrees C. In air, the removal of CH2O strongly increases when the temperature increases. This effect also occurs in nitrogen, but it is less important. A qualitative explanation for these results can be found in the competitive influence of quenching collisions of the nitrogen metastable states by formaldehyde and oxidation reactions of this molecule.