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(A3Σ 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.