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 TiO2 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 TiO2 are attempted, containing non-metal ion doping and Ag deposition. The results show that the flow rate of hydrogen produced by pulsed discharge with TiO2 coated non-metal can be achieved 1.55 L/min, which is higher than with TiO2 coated Ag, but both two are higher than discharge without TiO2. From SEM analysis, it may be associated with the larger specific surface area of TiO2 coated non-metal. However, percentage concentration of hydrogen produced with TiO2 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 TiO2 is also analyzed. It demonstrates that the increase of ·H is the main reason for increased hydrogen yield.