Based on the results of thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA)

the oxidation mechanism of diesel particulate matter captured on a non thermal plasma reactor electrode plate was studied. The analysis method of Malek was used and experimental curves were compared with the standard ones obtained with the commonly used functions of solid reaction mechanism and the empirical formula (EF) function. Results show that there are huge differences between the experimental curves and the standard ones. The fitted reaction rate curves derived with the EF function agree to the experimental ones at the heating rates of 5 K/min

10 K/min and 20K/min with the correlations of 0.9681

0.9924 and 0.9904 respectively. An oxidation mechanism function f(α)=α-0.29（1-α）1.54[1-ln(1-α)]3.93was obtained with the heating rate of 10 K/min. The standard curves derived from this oxidation mechanism function f(α) at three heating rates are very close to the experimental ones

indicating that this oxidation mechanism function can represent the diesel particulate matter oxidation mechanism. Linearity keeps between the pre-exponential factor lnAand the activation energy E

which satisfies the function lnA =0.136E－7.015 with the correlation of 0.994.