Plasma Chemistry and Plasma Processing

, Volume 31, Issue 2, pp 307–314 | Cite as

Principal Limitations in Homogeneous Gas Phase Chemistry in Non-Thermal Plasmas

  • F. Holzer
  • R. Köhler
  • U. Roland
  • E. Stelter
  • F.-D. Kopinke
Original Paper
First Online:
Received:
Accepted:
  • 128 Downloads

Abstract

This study highlights the oxidation of H2, CH4, and HCl present in the range of some volume percent in a homogeneous O2 or air phase in a flow through glass barrier discharge reactor. The oxidation of all three compounds is highly exothermic and exergonic at ambient temperature and proceeds at sufficiently high temperatures as radical chain reaction. The conversion of each compound was below 10% in a non-thermal oxygen plasma under various reaction conditions. Increasing concentrations of H2 and CH4 above the lower explosion limit did not lead to higher conversion degrees. It is assumed that only initial radical formation by electron impact dissociation and exothermic steps within the chain process run in a sufficiently fast manner at ambient temperature. For endothermic steps within the radical chain, the necessary activation energy is not available and the chain reaction aborts, most likely, after formation of peroxyl (hydro- or methyl-peroxyl) radicals.

Keywords

Non-thermal plasma Gas phase oxidation Radical chain reaction Hydrogen Methane 
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Notes

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Mrs. S. Woszidlo for taking care of the routine analysis and Dr. R. Weber from Bayer Material Science AG for helpful discussions.

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011

Authors and Affiliations

  • F. Holzer
    • 1
  • R. Köhler
    • 1
  • U. Roland
    • 1
  • E. Stelter
    • 2
  • F.-D. Kopinke
    • 1
  1. 1.Department of Environmental EngineeringHelmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, UFZLeipzigGermany
  2. 2.Bayer MaterialScience AGLeverkusenGermany

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