Comparative Study on the Decomposition of Chloroform in Thermal and Cold Plasma

Abstract

Decomposition of trichloromethane (chloroform, CHCl₃) has been studied in inductively coupled RF thermal plasma and in cold plasma, i.e. in silent electric discharge, in neutral and oxidative conditions, as well. GC--MS analysis of the gaseous products and the extracts of the soots were performed and resulted in the formation of solid soot, aliphatic dienes, cyclo-dienes and some aromatic compounds in neutral conditions of RF thermal plasma. In oxidative conditions, however, much less soot and dienes, and much more oxygen-containing products were formed as compared to neutral ones. In the cold plasma reactor, wide range of chlorinated ethane, ethene and propene derivatives were formed in neutral conditions. In oxidative conditions, formation of carbonyl compounds and carbon monoxide as intermediates took place, while the final product consisted of CO₂, H₂O and Cl₂ in the low temperature plasma reactor.