Efficiency and Mechanism of SF₆ Degradation by Dielectric Barrier Discharge Coupled with the ZSM-5 Catalyst

The efficient degradation of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) is a challenging task due to its stable chemical structure. In this work, dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) technology was coupled with the ZSM-5 catalyst to degrade SF6. The suitable particle size of ZSM-5 was selected by matching with the discharge performance of DBD. Based on this, the effects of input power, gas concentration, gas flow rate, catalyst particle size, and catalyst loading on the degradation efficiency of SF6 were discussed. The experimental results showed that the concentration and flow rate of SF6 were negatively correlated with its degradation rate (DRE) but positively correlated with the energy yield (EY). Under the conditions of an input power of 60 W, SF6 flow rate of 100 mL/min, and catalyst usage of 4 g, the SF6 of 1.5% concentration maintained 100% DRE for 75 min. Even when delayed to 95 min, the DRE was 98.05%, and the EY reached 9.707 g/kW h. The results showed that the synergistic effect of DBD and ZSM-5 provides a new way to degrade SF6 under mild conditions with a high efficiency and low energy consumption. It can be expected that the satisfactory degradation efficiency, low discharge power, and low cost of ZSM-5 will endow this technical route with good application prospects.