Hydrogen production from ethanol solution by pulsed discharge with TiO2 catalysts.

Hydrogen production from ethanol solution (initial ethanol concentration of 50%) by pulsed discharge coupled with TiO 2 is investigated in this work. Strong ultraviolet light is emitted by pulsed discharge in liquid, which makes photocatalysis have a great prospect in plasma reforming. Two kinds of TiO 2 are attempted, containing non-metal ion doping and Ag deposition. The results show that the flow rate of hydrogen produced by pulsed discharge with TiO 2 coated non-metal can be achieved 1.55 L/min, which is higher than with TiO 2 coated Ag, but both two are higher than discharge without TiO 2 . From SEM analysis, it may be associated with the larger specific surface area of TiO 2 coated non-metal. However, percentage concentration of hydrogen produced with TiO 2 coated Ag is higher than others, which can be attained 78%. It may be due to the high work function of Ag. In addition, mechanism of hydrogen produced by pulsed discharge coupled with TiO 2 is also analyzed. It demonstrates that the increase of ·H is the main reason for increased hydrogen yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]