The Effect of O 2 in a Humid O 2 /N 2 /NO x Gas Mixture on NO x and N 2 O Remediation by an Atmospheric Pressure Dielectric Barrier Discharge

A numerical model for N x O y remediation in humid air plasma produced with a dielectric barrier discharge at atmospheric pressure is presented. Special emphasis is given to NO 2 and N 2 O reduction with the decrease of O 2 content in the feedstock gas. A detailed reaction mechanism including electronic and ionic processes, as well as the contribution of radicals and excited atomic/molecular species is proposed. The temporal evolution of the densities of NO, NO 2 and N 2 O species, and some other by‐products, is analyzed, and the major pathways for the N x O y remediation are discussed for one pulse. Subsequently, simulations are presented for a multi‐pulses case, where three O 2 contents are tested for optimization of the remediation process. It is found that when the gas mixture O 2 /N 2 /H 2 O/NO x has no initial O 2 content, the best NO x and N 2 O remediation is achieved.