Technical Bulletin No. 0795: The Technical and Economic Feasibility of Using Low-Temperature Plasmas to Treat Gaseous Emissions from Pulp Mills and Wood Products Plants

This report provides an overview of the potential of applying “low-temperature plasma” (LTP) technologies to typical VOC-laden gas streams found in the forest products industry. Principal plasma mechanisms and plasma parameters for controlling VOC emissions are discussed. Leading LTP technologies are described, including corona, barrier, electron-beam, and gliding-arc discharges, as well as others such as glow and dark discharges. Available experimental results for treating VOC emissions are included. The potential for applying five LTP technologies—gas-phase-coronareactor (GPCR), electron-beam, pulsed-corona discharge, dielectric-barrier discharge, and gliding-arc discharge—to five types of VOC-laden streams in the forest products industry is discussed.