Removal of Isopropanol by synergistic non-thermal plasma and photocatalyst

The dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) of non-thermal plasmas was combined with a self-made photocatalyst to remove isopropanol (IPA). Synthesis conditions for the novel photocatalyst, including calcination temperature and copper loading, were varied before photocatalysis to obtain at the optimal reaction efficiency. The effects of initial IPA concentration, oxygen content, and catalyst dosage were also observed. Finally, catalyst reusability was analyzed. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy fitting revealed Ti, Cu, C, and O peaks in the synthesized catalyst. After a 60-min reaction with 100% oxygen as the carrying gas, nearly 100% of the IPA was converted. Overall, the optimal IPA conversion efficiency and acetone and carbon dioxide selectivity were achieved when the photocatalyst was synthesized at a calcination temperature of 550 °C and copper loading of 1.8%, along with a 100% oxygen carrying gas and a 3-mm discharge gap.