Naphthalene Decomposition by Dielectric Barrier Discharges at Atmospheric Pressure

Naphthalene decomposition in O
₂
/N
₂
gas mixture with different O
₂
concentrations has been studied in a dielectric barrier discharge reactor at atmospheric pressure. O
₂
played an important role in the decomposition of naphthalene, especially in the selectivities of CO and CO
₂
. There was an optimal naphthalene decomposition rate at an O
₂
concentration of about 3%. The CO
_x
selectivity increased up to 83.3% gradually with the O
₂
concentration increasing from 1% to 20%. Nanoparticles were found in the gas samples, concentrations of which can be reduced greatly through raising the O
₂
concentration. The decomposition byproducts of naphthalene were obviously different under different O
₂
concentrations. Some nitrogenous compounds reduced but some oxygenous compounds increased with increasing O
₂
concentration. The mechanism of naphthalene decomposition was proposed as that naphthalene was first initiated by dehydrogenation and oxidation, and then followed by deep oxidation to CO and CO
₂
.