Degradation of 4-Chlorophenol using a Gas–Liquid Gliding Arc Discharge Plasma Reactor

The gas–liquid gliding arc discharge plasma is used directly to study degradation and dechlorination of 4-Chlorophenol (4-CP) in solution. The typical AC waveforms of discharge voltage and current revealed that the discharge behavior was not definitely periodic. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) abatement of 4-CP solution with stainless steel electrode is higher than that with aluminum or brass electrode; When air was used as carrier gas the COD abated from 1,679.2 to 190 mg/L (i.e., 88.68% abatement) after 76 min plasma treatment; Increasing gas–liquid mixing rate could also increase the degradation of 4-CP; adding appropriate amounts of Fe²⁺ or iron chips to the solution were found to be favorable for 4-CP degradation. The main intermediates of 4-CP degradation are p-benzoquinone, hydroquinone, 4-chlorocatechol, p-chloronitrobenzene, and ring cleavage products (acetic acid, glycol, propanone, and others). Furthermore, possible pathways of 4-CP degradation in solution are proposed.     

Degradation of PCDD/Fs in Fly Ash by Vortex-shaped Gliding Arc Plasma

PCDD/Fs in fly ash from municipal solid waste incinerators (MSWIs) can be decomposed in non-thermal plasma, more in particular in a vortex-shaped gliding arc. Typical operating conditions are 10 kV voltage, 40 kΩB external current-limited resistor, 11 L/min tangential gas and 2 L/min axial carrier gas flow rates. Degradation efficiencies of PCDD/Fs are respectively 54.9, 61.7 and 66.8 % on mass basis and 60.7, 73.3 and 70.1 % on toxicity basis under N₂, air and O₂ condition. After treatment the morphology of fly ash has changed: needle-shaped crystals increasing, pores and fragments appearing and high-temperature melting showing which is leaded by direct contact with high-temperature core of arc. The results are explained tentatively by the creation of reactive intermediates leading to dechlorination and oxidation of PCDD/Fs and finally producing end-products such as CO₂, CO, HCl and CH₄.     

Effect of Inorganic Ions on the Oxidation of Methyl Violet with Gliding Arc Plasma Discharge

Gliding arc discharge process was used for the treatment of methyl violet wastewater. First, the intermediate products were studied by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, and ultraviolet–visible spectrometer. Second, the effects of inorganic anions including chloride (Cl^?), carbonate (CO₃ ^2?), sulfate (SO₄ ^2?), phosphate (PO₄ ^3?), nitrate (NO₃ ^?) on the degradation efficiency of methyl violet were examined. The research results indicated that hydroxyl radicals attacked carbon atom that situated in the center of dye molecule, and the conjugating structure of methyl violet was destroyed, and dye was degraded and decolored, so a possible degradation pathway was proposed by the analysis of intermediate products detected. The methyl violet degradation rate decreased with increasing anions concentrations, and their order of sequence according to the inhibition reaction was CO₃ ^2? > Cl^? > SO₄ ^2? > NO₃ ^?.     

N-Decane Reforming by Gliding Arc Plasma in Air and Nitrogen

Plasma cracking of n-decane is carried out in a new type of gliding arc flow reactor in the atmosphere of nitrogen and air, at a flow range of 25–45 L/min with an interval of 5 L/min. The relationship between arc evolution and discharge voltage and current signals is established by synchronous recording with high-speed camera and oscilloscope. It is recorded that the rotating frequency of the gliding arc is in the range of 81–176 Hz, which increases with the rise of the flow rate and has no direct relationship with the type of gas. When air is used as the discharge medium, although the luminous intensity of the arc is weak, arc rotation is relatively stable, and the specific input energy is higher, which is 58% higher than that of nitrogen. In addition, the partial oxidation of n-decane provides extra heat for cracking, which is helpful to improve the efficiency of plasma cracking. The cracking products mainly include hydrogen, ethylene, acetylene, methane, propylene and ethane. The concentration of each component is higher, reaching the maximum value at the flow rate of 40 L/min, with the hydrogen selectivity of 23.1%. However, when nitrogen plasma is selected, the kinds of products are reduced, containing only hydrogen, ethylene and acetylene, and the concentrations are lower than 0.5%. Two parameters, energy conversion efficiency and carbon based characterization effective cracking rate, were proposed to evaluate the cracking effect of flow reactor.

     

滑动弧电极放电等离子体作用甲烷制C2烃的工艺

采用刀片式不锈钢电极放电反应器,以Ar气为稀释气,研究了等离子体作用下甲烷转化制C2烃的工艺条件。考察了CH4流量、高频电源输入电压和电极间距等参数对甲烷转化率、C2烃选择性、收率和反应表观能耗的影响。结果表明,增加CH4流量,表观能耗随之降低;当输入电压和电极间距较小时,甲烷转化率随输入电压和电极间距的增大而增大,但输入电压和电极间距过大时,C2烃收率明显下降,积碳严重。在CH4流量14 mL/min、Ar气流量60 mL/min、高频电源输入电压22 V、电流0.44 A、电极间距4 mm的优化条件下,甲烷最高转化率为43.1%,C2烃收率、选择性和表观能耗分别为40.1%、93.2%和2.41 MJ/mol。C2烃中不饱和烃的体积分数可达95%以上。     

Study of Mechanism for Hexane Decomposition with Gliding Arc Gas Discharge

The mechanism of hexane decomposition under gliding arc gas discharge conditions is studied from both qualitative and quantitative analyses of its products for various hexane initial concentrations and different background atmospheres : nitrogen, argon, air (O₂ 21% N₂ 79% vol.) and N₂–O₂ mixtures. The decomposition rate, which decreases with increasing hexane initial concentration, can reach 94% when the carrier gas is air. Due to the electron energy consumed by the dissociation of nitrogen, the decomposition rate of hexane in nitrogen is lower than in argon. The radical channel plays a predominant role in the hexane decomposition process. With increasing oxygen concentration in the carrier gas, the hexane decomposition rate increases and promotes the conversion of CO– CO₂, but it also leads to the formation of NO₂.     

Degradation of Phenol in Aqueous Solutions by Gas–Liquid Gliding Arc Discharges

The efficiency of a gliding arc reactor designed with the aim to degrade aqueous phenol solutions is studied as a function of supply voltage, electrode gap distance, and gas–liquid flow properties. This efficiency, which steeply increases when increasing the supply voltage, can reach 96% when the minimum electrode distance is fixed at 3 mm. Experiments show that phenol degradation efficiency also depends on solution pH, Fe²⁺ addition, gas nature and gas flow rate. Furthermore, degradation pathways of phenol in aqueous solutions are proposed.     

Kinetic Modeling of Plasma Methane Conversion Using Gliding Arc

Plasma methane (CH4) conversion in gliding arc discharge was examined. The result data of experiments regarding the performance of gliding arc discharge were presented in this paper. A simulation which is consisted some chemical kinetic mechanisms has been provided to analyze and describe the plasma process. The effect of total gas flow rate and input frequency refers to power consumption have been studied to evaluate the performance of gliding arc plasma system and the reaction mechanism of decomposition.Experiment results indicated that the maximum conversion of CH4 reached 50% at the total gas flow rate of 1 L/min. The plasma reaction was occurred at the atmospheric pressure and the main products were C (solid), hydrogen, and acetylene (C2H2). The plasma reaction of methane conversion was exothermic reaction which increased the product stream temperature around 30～50℃.     

Aqueous Diphenyl Degradation Induced by Plasma with Glow Discharge Electrolysis

The degradation of aqueous phase diphenyl induced by plasma that was locally generated between an electrolytic solution and an anode tip is investigated. Results indicated that the degradation rate can be greatly increased by increasing the applied voltage. Faster removal rate can be achieved for a relatively higher alkalinity or acidity. Fe²⁺ has an evident catalytic effect on the diphenyl elimination, while the presence of n‐butanol inhibited the degradation. The major intermediate products of the degradation process were identified by HPLC analysis and a degradation pathway was proposed.     

Gliding Arc Plasma Synthesis of Crystalline TiO2 Nanopowders with High Photocatalytic Activity

A warm plasma generated by gliding arc discharge, combining the advantages of both thermal and cold plasmas, is explored to synthesize TiO₂ nanopowders for the first time. Air is used as the discharge gas and titanium tetraisopropoxide aerosol is carried by N₂ into the plasma. X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy characterizations confirm that the as-synthesized nanopowders are fully crystalline TiO₂. The weight fraction of anatase (f _A) is higher than that of rutile and increases from 68.8 to 96.8 % by increasing specific energy input (SEI) from 46 to 76 kJ/mol. The effect of SEI on specific surface area (S _BET) and BET-equivalent diameter (d _BET) of the nanopowders is investigated. The typically spheric morphology of the particles is observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and the most probable d _TEM approaches the d _BET. All the as-synthesized nanopowders show a high photocatalytic activity comparable to that of Degussa P25.     

Characterization of Plasma Polymerized Hexamethyldisiloxane Films Prepared by Arc Discharge

Herein, we present a simple method for fabricating plasma polymerized hexamethyldisiloxane films (pp-HMDSO) possessing superhydrophobic characteristics via arc discharge. The pp-HMDSO films were deposited on a soda–lime–silica float glass using HMDSO monomer vapor as a precursor. A detailed surface characterization was performed using scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The growth process of the pp-HMDSO films was investigated as a function of deposition time from 30 to 300 s. The non-wetting characteristics of the pp-HMDSO films were evaluated by means of contact angle (CA) measurements and correlated with the morphological characteristics, as obtained from microscopy measurements. The deposited films were found to be nano-structured and exhibited dual-scale roughness with the static CA values close to 170°. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis was carried out to investigate chemical and functional properties of these films. Methyl groups were identified spectroscopically to be present within the pp-HMDSO films and were proposed to result in the low surface energy of material. The synergy between the dual-scale roughness and low surface energy resulted in the superhydrophobic characteristics of the pp-HMDSO films. A possible mechanism for the pp-HMDSO film formation is proposed.     

石墨烯氢氧化钴复合催化剂的一步合成及其对酸性橙的催化降解

用一步合成自组装法制备出了氢氧化钴与还原氧化石墨烯（Co（OH）₂/rGO）的复合催化剂,并将其用于水中染料的催化降解实验. 通过X射线衍射（XRD）,激光拉曼（Raman）光谱,透射电镜（TEM）,X射线能量色散谱（EDS）以及X射线光电子能谱（XPS）等一系列分析手段对催化剂的结构形貌进行了详细的表征,表征结果证实氢氧化钴很好地附着在还原石墨烯的表面. 最后初步考察了催化剂催化单过硫酸钾（PMS）降解酸性橙（AO7）的性能. 结果表明,催化剂显示出了高效的催化性能,酸性橙的色度可在12 min内完全去除,总有机碳（TOC）实验也表明染料降解的同时也可获得较高的矿化度. 循环稳定性实验表明在进行到第三次实验时,催化剂仍能保持高的催化活性,将酸性橙在16 min内降解完毕.     

石墨烯氢氧化钴复合催化剂的一步合成及其对酸性橙的催化降解(英文)

用一步合成自组装法制备出了氢氧化钴与还原氧化石墨烯(Co(OH)2/rGO)的复合催化剂,并将其用于水中染料的催化降解实验.通过X射线衍射(XRD),激光拉曼(Raman)光谱,透射电镜(TEM),X射线能量色散谱(EDS)以及X射线光电子能谱(XPS)等一系列分析手段对催化剂的结构形貌进行了详细的表征,表征结果证实氢氧化钴很好地附着在还原石墨烯的表面.最后初步考察了催化剂催化单过硫酸钾(PMS)降解酸性橙(AO7)的性能.结果表明,催化剂显示出了高效的催化性能,酸性橙的色度可在12 min内完全去除,总有机碳(TOC)实验也表明染料降解的同时也可获得较高的矿化度.循环稳定性实验表明在进行到第三次实验时,催化剂仍能保持高的催化活性,将酸性橙在16 min内降解完毕.     

The Dependence of Gliding Arc Gas Discharge Characteristics on Reactor Geometrical Configuration

The dependence of gliding arc gas discharge characteristics, including gas flow field, arc column motion and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) decomposition performance, on reactor configuration parameters was investigated based on numerical simulation and laboratory experimental findings. For a given supply voltage (10 kV) and a certain nozzle outlet diameter (1.5 mm), increasing the electrodes gap (1–4 mm) or decreasing vertical distance between electrode throat and nozzle outlet (25–10 mm) will increase the gas flow rate through the electrode throat, the gas velocity in the plasma region, the arc column velocity, the maximum attainable position of the arc column and the electrical power consumption, also, higher VOCs decomposition rate and lower specific energy requirement are observed according to the n-butane and toluene decomposition experiments.     

The Roles of Various Plasma Active Species in Toluene Degradation by Non-thermal Plasma and Plasma Catalysis

Plasma Chemistry and Plasma Processing - Investigating the roles of plasma active species in plasma chemical reaction process can improve understanding of the mechanism of volatile organic...     

Surface Modification of Smectite Clay Induced by Non-thermal Gliding Arc Plasma at Atmospheric Pressure

Smectite clay from Sabga (west-Cameroon) was treated in aqueous suspension by gliding arc plasma to modify its surface properties. The evolution of the modifications was followed with the exposure time and post-discharge duration using Fourier transformed infra red spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. X-ray diffraction and nitrogen physisorption analyses were also performed to evaluate if both crystalline and textural properties of the material are affected by the treatment. The results obtained show that the plasma treatment causes the breakdown of structural bounds at the clay surface and induces the formation of new hydroxyl groups (Si–OH and Al–OH) on the clay edges. Crystallinity, sheet structure and textural properties are not significantly affected by the plasma treatment. However, it should be noted that an intensive treatment of the clay lowers the pH of the suspension, which subsequently induces an acid attack of the clay. In such case, the specific surface area of the clay increases. This study demonstrates that gliding arc plasma treatments can be used to activate clay minerals for environmental application.     

Scaling Up of Non-Thermal Gliding Arc Plasma Systems for Industrial Applications

Plasma Chemistry and Plasma Processing - Scaling up of transitional “warm” plasmas to industrial level gives possibility to develop plasma systems that combine advantages of thermal and...     

Growth of Wall-controlled MWCNTs by Magnetic Field Assisted Arc Discharge Plasma

Carbon nanotubes have long attracted great scientific interest because of their simplicity, ease of synthesis and unique properties. The novel properties of nanostructured carbon nanotubes including its high surface area, stiffness, tensile strength, thermal and electrical properties which become suitable for the application in the fields of energy storage, hydrogen storage, electrochemical supercapacitor, field-emitting devices, transistors, nanoprobes and sensors, composite material, templates, etc. In this study, carbon nanotubes were synthesized through arc discharge plasma with two different configurations, transverse and axial field, applied across arc plasma synthesis process to enable a much rapid rate growing of tubular carbon multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). TEM, FESEM, RAMAN, FTIR and XRD were used to investigate the morphology and structural evolution of the MWCNT samples produced with different synthesis environment. Introduction of magnetic field during the MWCNTs synthesized through arc discharge plasma technique has also been found to enhance the carbon nanotube growth, increase the high aspect ratio and its chemical stability, and shows potential for regulating the number of walls formed.     

Plasma-Assisted Synthesis of TiO2 Nanorods by Gliding Arc Discharge Processing at Atmospheric Pressure for Photocatalytic Applications

The present study explores a new method of synthesis of TiO₂ nano-particles in an aqueous medium from TiCl₃ precursor by non-thermal plasma in humid air as feeding gas obtained at atmospheric pressure. The precursor solution, TiCl₃ is oxidized by strongly reactive species generated by gliding arc plasma (HO^· = 2.85 V/SHE) to produce titanium oxide powders. The synthesized powder was characterised by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, nitrogen physisorption, and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The results obtained showed that the material consists of rod-shaped nanoparticles of rutile and anatase phases. The presence of TiO₂ phases was confirmed by FTIR spectrum and textural analyses showed that the material is mesoporous with specific surface area of 158 m² g^?1. UV–Visible spectrum of the plasma-synthesized TiO₂ sample showed that it absorbs in the UV–A region leading to effective use as a photocatalyst under visible light.     

Efficient Degradation of Nitrobenzene Induced by Glow Discharge Plasma in Aqueous Solution

The oxidative degradation of nitrobenzene (NB) induced by gaseous glow discharge plasma in contact with aqueous solution was investigated. The experimental results indicated that NB removal obeyed first-order kinetics under certain applied currents. The major degradation byproducts such as nitrophenols, phenol, 1,3-dinitrobenzene and carboxylic acids have been detected. The distribution of nitrophenols follows the order o- > p- > m- and oxalic, formic and acetic acids are major carboxylic intermediates. The eventual products were nitrate ion and carbon dioxide. During the treatment, a large amount of hydrogen peroxide was produced. Addition of ferrous or ferric ions into the solution greatly enhanced the degradation rate due to Fenton’s reaction. The energy efficiencies of NB removal and hydrogen peroxide formation were compared with those of other discharges. Hydroxyl radicals were shown to be the most likely species responsible for NB degradation