The destruction of hexafluoroethane (C2F6), also known as R-116, was investigated in a nonthermal plasma reactor packed with dielectric pellets. The effects of the feed gas composition and the input power on the destruction of C2F6 were examined. The feed gas composition was varied by changing the oxygen content, the argon content and the initial C2F6 concentration. An increased input power led to increased C2F6 destruction as a result of promoting the electron-molecule collisions to dissociate C2F6 molecules. The addition of argon to the feed gas greatly improved the C2F6 destruction by reducing the energy losses due to vibrational excitation and dissociation of N2 molecules, while the increases in the oxygen content and the initial C2F6 concentration decreased the destruction efficiency. The byproducts including CO2, CO, COF2, CF4, SiF4, NO2, and N2O were identified, and the destruction mechanisms were elucidated, referring to these compounds. The most abundant byproduct was found to be carbonyl fluoride (COF2), indicating that it serves as an important medium to convert C2F6 into CO2. The energy requirement for the C2F6 destruction was in the range of 8.2–45.3 MJ/g, depending on the initial concentration. The destruction of hexafluoroethane (C2F6), also known as R-116, was investigated in a nonthermal plasma reactor packed with dielectric pellets. The effects of the feed gas composition and the input power on the destruction of C2F6 were examined. The feed gas composition was varied by changing the oxygen content, the argon content and the initial C2F6 concentration. The increased of argon to the C2F6 destruction as a result of promoting the electron-molecule collisions to dissociate C2F6 molecules. improved the C2F6 destruction by reducing the energy losses due to vibrational excitation and dissociation of N2 molecules, while the increases in the oxygen content and the initial C2F6 concentration decreased the destruction efficiency. The byproducts including CO2, CO, COF2, CF4, SiF4, NO2 , and N2O were identified, and the destruction mechanisms were elucidated, referring to these compounds. The most abundant byproduct was found to be carbonyl fluoride (COF2), indicating that it serves as an important medium to convert C2F6 into CO2. The energy requirement for the C2F6 destruction was in the range of 8.2-45.3 MJ / g, depending on the initial concentration.