Partial Oxidation of Methane with Nitrous Oxide in a Dielectric-Barrier Discharge System

The partial oxidation of CH4 by N2O was investigated in a dielectric-barrier discharge system at atmospheric pressure. CH4 converted to CH3OH, HCHO, and CO in this system. Total yield of CH3OH and HCHO reached about 10% in the Ar stream. It was suggested that excited Ar species and electrons might behave important role to promote the partial oxidation reaction.