Home – Home – Jornals – Chemistry for Sustainable Development 2021 number 2

Propylene oxidation by oxygen in the presence of water in the barrier discharge (BD) reactor is investigated. Data obtained previously in the investigation of propylene oxidation in the presence of n -octane in the BD reactor are presented. Product composition remains the same if n -octane is replaced by water. The major products of propylene oxidation by oxygen in the presence of water are propylene oxide, propanal, and other hydroxyl- and carbonyl-containing compounds. The content of propylene oxide in the product mixture decreases from 45 to ~30 mass %. Propylene conversion values both in the presence of octane and in the presence of water are comparable: 12.9 and 15.4 %, respectively. Ignition of the discharge was determined to occur earlier in the presence of water than in the presence of n -octane. The volt-coulomb characteristics of BD during propylene oxidation in the presence of water and in the presence of octane differ from each other only slightly. The capacity of discharge cell (plasmachemical reactor) in the case of propylene oxidation in the presence of water is larger than in the presence of octane, while the transitive charge per one high-voltage pulse is smaller in the case of water. The active discharge power and propylene conversion are similar in both cases. Electron energy losses in the BD reactor were calculated for propylene-oxygen mixtures with water and without it. The addition of water was determined to have almost no effect on energy distribution in the mixture of oxygen with propylene, and the major losses of electron energy are related to the excitation of electronic states in oxygen and propylene molecules. The major direction of propylene oxidation in the BD reactor in the presence of water may be predicted relying on the analysis of calculation results.