Non-thermal plasma (NTP) assisted removal of dioxins and furans in municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash over Pt/ZSM-5 catalyst

The growing volume of municipal solid waste has led to increased use of incineration (MSWI), which unfortunately produces toxic and persistent pollutants such as dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs), posing serious environmental and health risks. This study explores the use of non-thermal plasma (NTP) systems, with and without catalytic assistance, for the decomposition of PCDD/Fs in MSWI fly ash. A comprehensive investigation was carried out to evaluate the performance of 1Pt/ZSM-5 as a catalyst in the NTP-assisted systems. The results revealed that catalytic-assisted NTP significantly outperformed the NTP-alone system. The 1Pt/ZSM-5 achieved the highest decomposition efficiency and detoxification at nearly 100% at 30 W. Furthermore, it was observed that higher input power negatively affected decomposition efficiency, resulting in increased concentrations of OCDF and 2,3,7,8-TCDD which was possibly due to competing reactions of dechlorination, chlorination, and destruction. This study underscores the importance of optimising operational conditions, particularly input power, to maximise the performance of catalytic-assisted NTP systems. The findings provide valuable insights into the decomposition mechanisms of PCDD/Fs and highlight the potential of advanced catalytic-assisted NTP systems as a sustainable solution for mitigating dioxin emissions from MSWI processes. • Waste incineration flyash contains high levels of dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs) • Non-thermal plasma/catalysis (Pt/ZSM-5) decomposes PCDD/Fs • Almost 100% detoxification of flyash PCDD/PCDFs achieved at 30 W input plasma power • Higher input plasma power resulted in negative efficiency and formation of PCDD/Fs