Effects of Reactor Packing Materials on H₂ Production by CO₂ Reforming of CH₄ in a Dielectric Barrier Discharge

Non‐thermal plasma has been investigated for CO 2 reforming of CH 4 in a coaxial DBD reactor with different reactor packing materials placed into the discharge gap. Both the chemical and physical effects on reaction performance have been examined for the addition of quartz wool, γ‐Al 2 O 3 and zeolite 3A, in order to gain a better understanding of plasma interactions with materials during CH 4 reforming reactions. Quartz wool was found to enhance the conversion of CH 4 and improve H 2 yields as a result of changes in the physical properties of the discharge; electrical measurements showed an increase in the intensity of microdischarge filaments over quartz wool. In the presence of Al 2 O 3 and zeolite 3A, the discharge intensity was reduced and consequently CH 4 and CO 2 conversions were lower for these materials. However, in the presence of zeolite 3A improved selectivities towards H 2 and light hydrocarbons acetylene/ethylene were obtained and formation of liquid hydrocarbons was inhibited due to shape‐selectivity determined by the zeolite pore size. magnified image