Single step electrified hydrogen production from methane in a gliding arc/fluidized bed reactor

In this work, a plasma fluidized bed reactor has been studied as an electrified methane decomposition reactor for sustainable hydrogen production. A combined 3D rotating gliding arc/fluidized bed reactor assembly demonstrates a stable operation with a CH 4 /Ar mixture containing up to 8 vol% of CH 4 . The reactor provides a 97.2 % H 2 selectivity at a methane conversion of 16.6 % and energy costs of 10.6 kJ L −1 . This performance provides a new benchmark for electrified H 2 production with a potential to utilise renewable electricity. In addition, carbon materials are produced. The characterizations show difference in the morphology of the materials collected in different reactor zones. • A rotating gliding arc/fluidized bed reactor was designed for CH 4 decomposition. • With the fluidized bed, CH 4 conversion and H 2 production increased 41 % and 69 %. • The hydrogen selectivity reached 97.2 % with energy cost as low as 10.6 kJ −1 . • The discharge temperatures are cruical to the carbon materials morphology.