Dry reforming of methane, ethane, and propane using atmospheric-pressure microwave plasma

Plasma dry reforming has been actively studied as a method for converting two major greenhouse gases—methane and carbon dioxide—into syngas. While methane has been extensively investigated, few studies have explored plasma dry reforming of light hydrocarbons with C-C bonds, such as ethane and propane, which can originate from LPG and plastic pyrolysis. Since C–C bonds may significantly affect product composition, analyzing the impact of different fuel types on reforming performance is necessary. In this study, dry reforming of methane, ethane, and propane was performed using an atmospheric-pressure microwave plasma. Along with experimental studies on reforming products and the generated plasmas, reactor network modeling was conducted to analyze the detailed reaction processes. Importantly, reaction mechanisms for the gaseous dry reforming of methane, ethane, and propane were systematically generated using the Reaction Mechanism Generator, accounting for the high-temperature conditions of the studied plasmas. The results confirm that dry reforming of light hydrocarbons can be as effective as that of methane, with negligible formation of hydrocarbons heavier than C₃, due to extremely high local temperatures not attainable through conventional methods.