Non-Thermal Plasma Techniques for Pollution Control

Book excerpt: Acid rain, global warming, ozone depletion, and smog are preeminent environmental problems facing the world today. Non-thermal plasma techniques offer an innovative approach to the solution of some of these problems. There are many types of non-thermal plasma devices that have been developed for environmental applications. The potential of these devices for the destruction of pollutants or toxic molecules has already been demonstrated in many contexts, such as nitrogen oxides (NOX) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) in flue gases, heavy metals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in industrial effluents, and chemical agents such as nerve gases. This book contains a comprehensive account of the latest developments in non-thermal plasma devices and their applications to the disposal of a wide variety of gaseous pollutants.