Two-stage system of non-thermal plasma and adsorption for decomposition of hydrogen sulfide

In order to overcome the high energy consumption and discharge of byproducts for decomposition of hydrogen sulfide with non-thermal plasma (NTP) alone, a two-stage system of NTP and activated carbon fibers (ACF) was presented for decomposition of H₂S. The effects of two-stage system and single NTP system on H₂S removal efficiency and byproducts were investigated at different input voltage. The synergistic mechanisms of NTP and ACF for H₂S decomposition were also analyzed. The two-stage system could remarkably improve the H₂S removal efficiency, decrease the energy consumption and remove byproducts, while prolong the breakthrough time of ACF and increase the decomposition and adsorption capacity for H₂S. The results showed that the two-stage system improved 15% of the H₂S removal efficiency and reduced 26.5% of the energy consumption at 6 kV with a gas-flow rate of 11.8 m³/h. The energy consumption of the two-stage system at 6 kV reduced 26.5%. ACF could remove the SO₂ and O₃, no SO₂ and O₃ were detected before the breakthrough time of ACF for H₂S. The breakthrough time of ACF for H₂S was prolonged from 2 to 16 times by NTP at the input voltage range from 3 to 7 kV.