One alternative application in the decomposition and destruction of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by a silent plasma dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) has been successfully accomplished. For this purpose, we have designed and constructed two pairs of cells, of rectangular and circular geometries, 333.96 cm³ each cell, and a similar second pair of 62.25 cm³ each one. Resonant inverters for low (3.3 kHz) and high (100 kHz) frequencies were also designed and applied to these cells. The specification of the main physical parameters of each cell contemplates: i) a first order degradation ratio of the compound, and ii) air breakdown at atmospheric pressure as a function of the carrying gas. The power consumed by the cells during the discharges was computed both theoretically and experimentally by Manley's method. The equipment was applied to the degradation of toluene, which has been degraded by an oxidation process in air-oxygen and argon-oxygen gas mixtures at atmospheric pressure within the cells. The destruction efficiency was measured as a function of the initial concentration. When air is used as an oxidant, a clear formation of solid products on the walls of dielectric glass plates has been observed, such deposits being polymeric in nature. These deposits seem to be responsible for a decline in the degradation efficiency of the treated compounds.
