Pulsed sub-microsecond dielectric barrier discharge treatment of simulated glass manufacturing industry flue gas: removal of SO₂and NOx

Experiments were carried out to investigate the removal of SO 2 and NOx from simulated glass manufacturing industry flue gas containing O 2 , N 2 , NO, NO 2 , CO 2 , SO 2 and H 2 O using a sub-microsecond pulsed dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) at atmospheric pressure. Removal efficiencies of SO 2 and NOx (NO+NO 2 ) were achieved as a function of gas temperature for two specific energies and two initial NO, NO 2 and SO 2 concentrations. The higher SO 2 and NOx removal efficiencies were achieved in a gas stream containing 163 ppm of SO 2 , 523 ppm of NO, 49 ppm of NO 2 , 14% of CO 2 , 8% of O 2 , 16% of H 2 O and N 2 as balance. The experimental results were evaluated using the energy cost or W -value (eV/molecule removed). About 100% of SO 2 and 36% of NOx were removed at a gas temperature of 100 °C with an energy cost of about 45 eV/molecule removed and 36 eV/molecule removed, respectively. These results indicate that DBD plasmas have the potential to remove SO 2 and NOx from gas streams without additives.