The catalytic effect of H2 in the dehydrogenation coupling production of ethylene glycol from methanol using a dielectric barrier discharge

The catalytic effect of H2 in the one-step synthesis of ethylene glycol (EG) from methanol dehydrogenation coupling reaction using dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) was studied by in-situ optical emission spectroscopy and online chromatographic analysis. The influence of discharge frequency, methanol and H2 flow rates as well as reaction pressure was investigated systematically. Results show that, in the non-equilibrium plasma produced by DBD, H2 dramatically improved not only the conversion of methanol but also the selectivity for EG. Using the reaction conditions of 300 °C, 0.1 MPa, input power 11 W, discharge frequency 12.0 kHz, methanol gas flow rate 11.0 mL/min, and H2 flow rate 80–180 mL/min, the reaction of the CH3OH/H2 DBD plasma gave a methanol conversion close to 30% and a selectivity for EG of more than 75%. The change of the EG yield correlated with the intensity of the Hα spectral line. H atoms appear to be the catalytically active species in the reaction. In the DBD plasma, the stable ground state H2 molecule undergoes cumulative collision excitation with electrons before transitioning from higher energy excited states to the first excited state. The spontaneous dissociation of the first excited state H2 molecules generates the catalytically active H atom. The discharge reaction condition affects the catalytic performance of H2 by influencing the dissociation of H2 molecules into H atoms. The catalytic effect of H2 exhibited in the non-equilibrium plasma may be a new opportunity for the synthesis of chemicals.

Graphical AbstractIn the non-equilibrium plasma generated by a dielectric barrier discharge, H2 exhibited a catalytic effect on the dehydrogenation coupling reaction of methanol, which permitted the direct synthesis of ethylene glycol with high selectivity.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide