Microplasma are used to destroy volatile organic compounds. For example, capillary plasma electrode (CPE) discharge was used to effectively destroy volatile organic compounds such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, ethylene, heptane, octane, and ammonia in the surrounding air for use in advanced life support systems designed for enclosed environments. Destruction efficiencies were determined as a function of plasma energy density, initial contaminant concentration, residence time in plasma volume, reactor volume, and the number of contaminants in the gas flow stream.