The effect of operating parameters on electrical characteristics and benzene removal properties in the dielectric barrier discharge(DBD) process was investigated. The benzene removal was initiated with the energy transfer to the gas stream by the loading of voltages higher than the discharge onset value. The removal efficiency over 95% was obtained at the 27kV peak value of applied AC voltage. The discharge onset voltage of the coarse surface electrodes was lower than that of the smooth surface electrodes. As gap distance between electrodes decreased, the discharge onset voltage was decreased and the energy transfer to the gas stream was increased due to the higher electric field strength. The decrease of the dielectric material thickness enhanced the removal efficiency by increasing the discharge potential. The benzene removal was closely related to the amount of transferred energy. The higher electrical energy transferred to the gas stream, the higher benzene removal efficiency was obtained.