Non-thermal plasma exhibits unique advantages in biomass conversion for the sustainable production of higher-value energy carriers. Different homogeneous catalysts are usually required for plasma-enabled biomass liquefaction to achieve time-and energy-efficient conversions. However, the effects of such catalysts on the plasma-assisted liquefaction process and of the plasma on those catalysts have not been thoroughly studied. In this study, an electrical discharge plasma is employed to promote the direct liquefaction of sawdust in a mixture of polyethylene glycol 200 and glycerol. Three commonly used chemicals, sulfuric acid, nitric acid and sodium p-toluene sulfate, were selected as catalysts. The effects of the type of catalyst and concentration on the liquefaction yield were examined; further, the roles of the catalysts in the plasma liquefaction process have been discussed. The results showed that the liquefaction yield attains a value of 90% within 5 min when 1% sulfuric acid was employed as the catalyst. Compared with the other catalysts, sulfuric acid presents the highest efficiency for the liquefaction of sawdust. It was observed that hydrogen ions from the catalyst were primarily responsible for the significant thermal effects on the liquefaction system and the generation of large quantities of active species; these effects directly contributed to a higher efficacy of the plasma-enabled liquefaction process.

非热等离子体在生物质转化方面具有独特的优势，可以持续生产高价值的能量载体。等离子体使能的生物质液化通常需要不同的均相催化剂，以实现时间和能源效率的转化。然而，尚未充分研究这种催化剂对等离子体辅助的液化过程的影响以及等离子体对那些催化剂的影响。在这项研究中，采用放电等离子体来促进木屑在聚乙二醇200和甘油的混合物中直接液化。三种常用的化学品，硫酸，硝酸和钠p选择硫酸甲苯-甲苯作为催化剂。研究了催化剂类型和浓度对液化收率的影响。此外，已经讨论了催化剂在等离子体液化过程中的作用。结果显示，当使用1％硫酸作为催化剂时，在5分钟内液化产率达到90％的值。与其他催化剂相比，硫酸对木屑液化的效率最高。观察到，来自催化剂的氢离子主要负责对液化系统的显着热效应和大量活性物质的产生。这些作用直接促进了血浆液化过程的更高功效。