Abstract
Non-thermal plasma has been investigated for CO 2 reforming of CH 4 in a coaxial DBD reactor with different reactor packing materials placed into the discharge gap. Both the chemical and physical effects on reaction performance have been examined for the addition of quartz wool, γ-Al 2O 3 and zeolite 3A, in order to gain a better understanding of plasma interactions with materials during CH 4 reforming reactions. Quartz wool was found to enhance the conversion of CH 4 and improve H 2 yields as a result of changes in the physical properties of the discharge; electrical measurements showed an increase in the intensity of microdischarge filaments over quartz wool. In the presence of Al 2O 3 and zeolite 3A, the discharge intensity was reduced and consequently CH 4 and CO 2 conversions were lower for these materials. However, in the presence of zeolite 3A improved selectivities towards H 2 and light hydrocarbons acetylene/ethylene were obtained and formation of liquid hydrocarbons was inhibited due to shape-selectivity determined by the zeolite pore size. Both the physical and chemical interactions between plasma and packing materials play an important role in improving the reaction performance in a plasma-catalysis system. The presence of zeolite 3A in the discharge significantly improves the selectivities towards H 2 and light hydrocarbon (C 2H 2/C 2H 4) production due to shape-selectivity determined by the zeolite pore diameter. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 90-97 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Plasma Processes and Polymers |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jan 2012 |
Keywords
- dielectric barrier discharge
- dry reforming
- hydrogen production
- non-thermal plasma
- zeolite
