BACKGROUND: Non-thermal plasma (NTP) combined with a biotrickling filter (BTF) system is an alternative process to remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The removal performance of this system and the factors that influence it, namely, initial concentration, specific input energy, empty-bed residence time, and inlet loading rate, were studied. RESULTS: The coupled system exhibited better removal of chlorobenzene compared with the single-BTF system. Analysis of CO2 production revealed that the coupled system affords higher production of CO2 and greater mineralization of chlorobenzene. A decrease in biomass accumulation and pressure drop in the coupled system greater than that in the single-BTF reactor were observed. These results indicate that NTP pretreatment may be an efficient strategy for reducing bioreactor clogging without damaging the BTF performance. Analysis of the alpha diversity and microbial communities of the two BTFs by high-throughput sequencing revealed that the biological diversity and biomass content of the single-BTF system were higher than those of the coupled system. CONCLUSION: Since the combined NTP-BTF system is highly efficient, it may be a promising system for VOCs degradation. (C) 2016 Society of Chemical Industry