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H2 production by ethanol decomposition with a gliding arc discharge plasma reactor

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Abstract

A gliding arc discharge (GRD) reactor was used to decompose ethanol into primarily H2 and CO with small amounts of CH4, C2H2, C2H4, and C2H6. The ethanol concentration, electrode gap, input voltage and Ar flow rate all affected the conversion of ethanol with results ranging from 40.7% to 58.0%. Interestingly, for all experimental conditions the SH2/SCO selectivity ratio was quite stable at around 1.03. The mechanism for the decomposition of ethanol is also described.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology of the Ministry of Education, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China

    Baowei Wang, Wenjie Ge, Yijun Lü & Wenjuan Yan

Authors
  1. Baowei Wang
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  2. Wenjie Ge
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  3. Yijun Lü
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  4. Wenjuan Yan
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Correspondence to Baowei Wang.

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Wang, B., Ge, W., Lü, Y. et al. H2 production by ethanol decomposition with a gliding arc discharge plasma reactor. Front. Chem. Sci. Eng. 7, 145–153 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-013-1327-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-013-1327-4

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