Decomposition of Acetaldehyde in Atmospheric Pressure Filamentary Nitrogen Plasma

The removal of 500?ppm acetaldehyde in nitrogen at 1?bar is characterized in a pulse dielectric barrier discharge generating a spatial random distribution of plasma filaments. The identification and the quantification of numerous by-products are performed. At 20?°C, CH₃CHO is efficiently dissociated, probably owing to quenching of N₂ metastable states. The most abundant by-products are CO, H₂, and CH₄, in consistency with the three important exit channels for the quenching of the N₂(A³?? _u ⁺ ) state by CH₃CHO proposed by Faider et al. (2011). In order of importance, other products are HCN, C₂H₆, CH₃CN, HNCO, CO₂, CH₃COCH₃, C₂H₄, C₂H₅CN, NH₃, C₂H₂, and a group of nitriles and of ketones. An increase of the temperature from 20?°C up to 300?°C induces a strong decrease of the removal characteristic energy, but the by-products types remain unchanged. Probably the reaction of H with CH₃CHO plays a role in the removal of the molecule at 300?°C.