Catalytic DBD plasma reactor for low temperature partial oxidation of methane: Maximization of synthesis gas and minimization of CO2

In this study, room temperature synthesis gas production from partial oxidation of methane through a dielectric barrier discharge plasma reactor was investigated experimentally. In this case, operating conditions including applied voltage and Ar flow rate were evaluated to obtain the best operating conditions for the purpose of enhancing CH4 conversion and selective synthesis gas production. In addition, plasma alone system was compared with the catalytic system (NiO-CaO/Al2O3), revealing great improvement of synthesis gas selectivity through utilization of the catalyst. The maximum CH4 conversion of 99.9% with the synthesis gas module of 1.84 and energy efficiency of 3.2% was gained in the catalytic system where the applied voltage was 10 kV. Besides, synthesis gas module of almost 2, which is in favor of commercial applications including methanol production, was achievable at the applied voltage of 8 kV in the catalytic system. Finally, the obtained results were compared with the similar previous studies. (C) 2019 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.