Atmospheric Pressure Air Plasma for Efficient Degradation of Aging-related Body Odors

As global demographic shifts toward an aging population intensify, age-related metabolic disorders of endogenous volatile organic compounds have garnered significant scientific attention. Notably, trans-2-nonenal (T2N), recognized as a hallmark biomarker of "old person smell", poses potential health risks to elderly populations through its cumulative physiological effects. Conventional deodorization strategies, including physical adsorption and chemical oxidation, suffer from critical limitations such as suboptimal degradation efficiency and secondary pollution risks. This study develops an innovative dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) low-temperature plasma system operating at atmospheric pressure, enabling in-situ generation of reactive oxygen/nitrogen species for efficient T2N abatement. Experimental results demonstrate that under discharge parameters (8 kV, 2 kHz, 500 ns), plasma-induced interfacial reactions achieved complete mineralization of liquid-phase T2N within 10 min (100% degradation efficiency) with superior energy utilization (0.53 mg/kJ). Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis confirmed the absence of hazardous byproducts. Furthermore, real-time monitoring revealed exponential decay of gaseous T2N concentration, reaching sub-ppb detection limits within 20 min treatment. These findings suggest that our modular configuration demonstrates strong potential for institutional care facilities, providing an eco-friendly and energy-efficient solution for indoor air quality management in aging societies.