Decomposition of Glycerine by Water Plasmas at Atmospheric Pressure

High concentration of aqueous glycerine was decomposed using a direct current (DC) plasma torch at atmospheric pressure. The torch can generate the plasma with water as the plasma-supporting gas in the absence of any additional gas supply system and cooling devices. The results indicated that 5 mol% glycerine was completely decomposed by water plasmas at arc powers of 0.55~1.05 kW. The major products in the e²uent gas were H2 (68.9%~71.1%), CO2 (18.9%~23.0%), and CO (0.2%~0.6%). However, trace levels of formic acid (HCOOH) and formaldehyde (HCHO) were observed in the liquid effluent. The results indicated that the water plasma waste treatment process is capable of being an alternative green technology for organic waste decomposition.