DETAILED DESCRIPTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide methods and apparatus for controlling undesirable by-products produced by the decomposition of toxic compounds using single-staged, catalysis-assisted non-thermal plasma techniques.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide methods and apparatus for decomposing toxic compounds using non-thermal plasma wherein by-products of the decomposition reaction are eliminated within a single-staged reactor.
These and other objects are provided, according to one aspect of the present invention, by a method for decomposing toxic compounds with catalysis-assisted, non-thermal plasma so that by-products produced thereby are reduced, comprising the steps of: introducing a carrier gas, having a toxic compound entrained therein, through a packed-bed of ferroelectric pellets coated or impregnated with a catalyst; and polarizing the pellets to produce a plasma to decompose the toxic compound.
By-products are produced by the decomposition process.
The pellets may be formed of a material selected from various high dielectric materials (relative dielectric constant greater than approximately 5) including, but not limited to, barium titanate, strontium titanate, niobium titanate, and various ceramics.
The pellets are typically between about 0.
5 millimeter and 5.
0 millimeters.
An active catalyst is selected to react with the decomposition products, and may be selected from a variety of elements and compounds including, but not limited to, oxidation catalysts using noble metals, metal oxides, and reducing catalysts.
Exemplary catalysts include, but are not limited to, cobalt, copper, chromium, nickel, vanadium, platinum/aluminum oxides (Pt/Al.
sub.
2 O.
sub.
3), palladium/aluminum oxides (Pd/Al.
sub.
2 O.
sub.
3), rhodium, rhodium/zinc oxides (RhZnO.
sub.
2), ferrous oxide, ferric oxide, and zeolite.
Additionally, the pellets may be coated or impregnated with a plurality of catalysts.
The carrier gas comprises a gas selected from, but not limited to, air, oxygen, nitrogen, argon, and may be entrained with toxic compounds including, but not limited to, VOCs; CFCs; PFCs; halons; sulfur and nitrogen compounds; and ammonia
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Manufacturing Materials 
