The present study deals with the kinetics analysis of acetaldehyde (CH₃CHO) conversion in electrical discharges with different spatial qualities et at room temperature. Acetaldehyde concentrations up to 5000 ppm in nitrogen-based gas mixture containing up to 20% of oxygen have been investigated. Three different plasma reactors were used: an UV510 reactor producing a homogeneous plasma thanks to a pre-ionization by UV radiation (photo-triggered), a plane-to-plane and a rod-tube dielectric barrier discharges (DBDs) reactors, In both DBDs reactors discharges were driven by high voltage pulses allowing the production of weakly inhomogeneous plasma in the plane geometry and highly filamentary discharges in the cylindrical one. A high speed imaging diagnostic (ns range) of the plane-to-plane DBD shows that the plasma can be considered quasi-homogeneous. Based on a self-consistent 0D model, the kinetics study of the N₂/CH₃CHO mixture conversion in the photo-triggered discharge shows the importance of nitrogen molecule metastable states , i.e. the triplet A³Σu⁺ and the singlets group a' ¹∑⁻u, a ¹∏g, et w ¹Δu, in the acetaldehyde dissociation process. A minimum coefficient of 6.5×10⁻¹¹ cm³.s⁻¹ has been estimated for the quenching of N₂ singlets state by acetaldehyde. For the triplet states quenching the coefficient of has been evaluated between 4.2×10⁻¹¹ cm³.s⁻¹ and 6.5×10⁻¹¹ cm³.s⁻¹. This dissociation process produces radicals as CH₃, CH₃CO, HCO, H, O, and molecules like CH₄, CH₂CO, C₂H₄, C₂H₂, H₂, CO. Thus, the major by-products detected at the end of the post-discharge time are methane, hydrogen, carbon monoxide and ethane; smaller amounts of acetylene, ethene, acetone and acetonitrile were also detected. In containing oxygen mixtures, the importance of the CH3CHO dissociation processes due to N₂ metastable states quenching of decreases in favor of oxidation processes promoted by the hydroxyl radical, OH, and atomic oxygen, O (³P). Time-resolved measurements of the OH radical in the photo-triggered post-discharge show a very high reactivity of this radical with the by-products of acetaldehyde conversion. A maximum density of OH radical equal to 3.5×10¹⁴ cm⁻³ was measured for 10% oxygen and 5000 ppm of acetaldehyde. The kinetic scheme adopted in the self-consistent model for the same gas mixture gives a higher density value; by the way the model is in good agreement with the acetaldehyde conversion in N₂/O₂/CH₃CHO mixtures, as well as with the methane and ethane produced concentrations. Finally, the comparison of the three studied reactors energy efficiency shows that, for low oxygen content (less than 2%), the homogeneity of the discharge promotes the acetaldehyde conversion.
