Kinetics of the decomposition of hydrogen sulfide in a dielectric barrier discharge reactor

Abstract

Kinetics of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) decomposition to hydrogen and sulfur was investigated in a nonthermal plasma dielectric barrier discharge (NTP-DBD) reactor operated under ambient conditions. The reactions were carried out with a fixed flow rate and varying inlet concentration. The results indicated that the dissociation of H2S into H2 and S may be initiated by excitation of the carrier gas argon. A reaction rate model based on a Langmuir Hinshelwood/Michaelis-Menten model was proposed. The formal reaction order approaches zero at high H2S concentrations. The parameters of the kinetic model were found to be dependent on the power input. © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.