Chlor-alkali Production Research Articles

Long term substantial impacts of historic Chlor-Alkali production as a newly recognized source of polyhalogenated carbazoles in aquatic environments

Bottom sediments of the North American Great Lakes are characterized by a high loading (over 3,000 tonnes) of polyhalogenated carbazoles (PHCZs). The origin of this environmental contaminant loading is unclear. Here, we first examined PHCZs levels and profiles in sediment, lotus, and fish from the Ya-Er Lake (China) that has been under the influence of an obsolete chlor-alkali facility for forty years and discovered substantial PHCZs contamination. Among the PHCZs determined, 3,6-dichlorocarbazole (36-CCZ) and 3-chlorocarbazole (3-CCZ) were the most frequently detected. Sediments from backfilled land exhibited Σ11PHCZs at median concentration of 973 ng/g (dry weight), suggesting the chlor-alkali industry as an important source. Even after 20 years of dredging treatment, the concentration of Σ11PHCZs in the sediment of the oxidation ponds (median = 41.1 ng/g) remained substantially higher than in other areas globally. Furthermore, the concentration of Σ11PHCZs was found to be higher in surface sediments (median) at 66.7 ng/g if compared to middle (14.1 ng/g) and lower layers (18.2 ng/g), indicating the potential availability of PHCZs from surface sediments to aquatic plants and animals. Notably, this study detected PHCZs in both fish (26.3 ng/g lipid weight) and lotus (14.5 ng/g dry weight), with significant enrichment of 3-monobromocarbazole (3-BCZ) observed in both lotus root systems (bio-soil accumulation factor, BSAFroot = 5.04) and fish muscle (BSAFfish = 3.04).

Quantitative source apportionment of heavy metals in sediments from the Bohai Sea, China

In this study, the sources of nine heavy metals (Cd, As, Hg, Cu, Pb, Ni, Cr, Zn, and Co) in the sediments of the Bohai Sea were quantitatively identified through a positive factor matrix to provide better advice for marine and coastal management. In Bohai Sea sediments, most metals fell below detectable contamination levels, including As, Cu, Pb, Ni, Cr, Zn, and Co. Unfortunately, Bohai Sea sediments were moderately to significantly enrich with Cd and Hg, posing potentially adverse ecological risks to aquatic ecosystems. Our modeled results showed three factors representing natural, anthropogenic, and atmospheric deposition sources. Enriched Cd and Hg were likely derived from anthropogenic activities through river runoff and atmospheric deposition due to adjacent Zn smelting and chlor-alkali production, respectively. The other metals were mainly derived from natural sources.

Oral and inhalation bioaccessibility of mercury in contaminated soils and potential health risk to the kidneys and neurodevelopment of children in Taiwan.

Health risk assessments of exposure to mercury (Hg) from soils via ingestion and inhalation are indispensable for Taiwanese people living in the vicinity of Hg-contaminated sites. In this study, anthropogenic soils were collected from various polluted sources in Taiwan. In vitro oral and inhalation bioaccessible fractions of Hg were analyzed to avoid from overestimating the exposure risk. Discrepancies in oral and inhalation bioaccessible levels of Hg in soils were found using different in vitro assays with different pH levels and chemical compositions. The freshly contaminated soil (soil S7) polluted by chlor-alkali production activity sampled before the site was remediated had the highest total Hg concentration of 1346mg/kg, with the highest oral bioaccessibility of 26.2% as analyzed by SW-846 Method 1340 and inhalation bioaccessibility of 30.5% as analyzed by modified Gamble's solution. The lesser extent of aging of Hg in soil S7 increased the Hg availability for humans, which was also found based on results of a sequential extraction procedure. Results of the hazard quotient showed that soil ingestion was the main pathway causing non-carcinogenic risks for children and adults. Children were also exposed to higher risks than were adults due to higher frequencies of hand-to-mouth behaviors and lower body weights. Furthermore, hazard index results adjusted for oral and inhalation bioaccessible Hg were lower than those obtained based on the total Hg content; however, an unacceptable value of the non-carcinogenic risk (> 1) for children living near soil S7 was still observed. This study suggests that children living near sites polluted for a short period of time may suffer potential renal effects regardless of the bioaccessibility. Our findings provide suggestions for decision makers on setting new strategies for managing risks of Hg-contaminated soils in Taiwan.

Do the Government Support Salt Small and Medium Enterprises’ Competitiveness?

As a strategic commodity, salt in Indonesia faces the challenges of increasing imports rather than the capacity to produce locally, which SMEs almost produce. Therefore, the research explored the extent of the government’s role in the competitiveness of salt SMEs. The research applied a descriptive method with a qualitative approach. For policy analysis, literature review, observation, and in-depth interviews were conducted to analyze the effectiveness of government policies using Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) and Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA). The results find that at least six issues on the existing policies need concern. It consists of local people who are allowed to produce salt, the President Decree 69/1994 role and position, the salt consumption, which is mandatory to have SNI, the changeable salt classification, the other SNI than voluntary iodized consumption salt, and SNI for food-grade salt and caustic soda (chlor-alkali products). The situation shows the government’s significant role in influencing the competitiveness of sustainable salt SMEs. Subsequently, the research proposes recommendations for the sustainable competitiveness of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) on salt industry development, such as arranging new regulations or revising the existing regulation by integrating and harmonizing the interest cross-ministries, establishing the task force under the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs or directly under the president to prepare the national salt industries development. The national salt classification needs to be considered as the applicable classification internationally. Salt is salt, so there is no need to differentiate it into local and imported salt. Therefore, the imported salt can be classified into food-grade and Chlor-Alkali products (CAP) salt, which should meet international standards and be mandatory.

Mercury and Movement Disorders: The Toxic Legacy Continues

ABSTRACT:Mercury (Hg) exists in the environment as inorganic (metallic Hg vapor, mercurous and mercuric salts) or organic (bonded to a structure containing carbon atoms) forms. Neurotoxic effect of Hg is known for years. While the organic form (methylmercury (meHg)) led to the Minamata incidence in Japan and “wonder-wheat” disaster in Iraq, the “mad hatters” and “Danbury shakes” were related to the inorganic elemental form (Hg vapor). Human exposure to toxic Hg continues in the modern world to a large extent by artisanal gold mining, biomass combustion, chloralkali production, and indigenous medicine use to name a few. Heavy industrial use of Hg contaminates air and landfills, affecting the aquatic ecosystem and marine food chain. A detailed social and occupational history with a high index of clinical suspicion is required to not miss this toxic etiology for movement disorders like ataxia, tremor, or myoclonus. In this review, we have discussed the past and present global health impact of Hg from a movement disorder perspective. The connection of Hg with neurodegeneration and autoimmunity has been highlighted. We have also discussed the role of chelating agents and the preventive strategies to combat the neurotoxic effects of Hg in the modern world.

Release of legacy mercury and effect of aquaculture on mercury biogeochemical cycling in highly polluted Ya-Er Lake, China

Although global mercury (Hg) emission from chlor-alkali industry is decreasing, the legacy Hg may still have potential risks due to its environmental persistence. The objective of this work is to study the biogeochemical cycling and potential risk of Hg in the Ya-Er Lake, which was heavily contaminated by historical chlor-alkali production. Higher concentrations of total Hg (THg) in Ya-Er Lake water (16.8 ± 8.4 ng L−1) and sediment (547 ± 489 ng g−1) than other lake systems were observed, reflecting serious Hg pollution in this system. Diffusion rates of Hg at sediment-water interface and budget of Hg showed that release of legacy Hg in sediment (accounting for ∼80%) dominated THg in water, and about 80% methylmercury (MeHg) of total was diffused from sediment. Significant correlations between total organic carbon (TOC) derived from aquaculture and THg diffusion and MeHg concentrations in sediment suggest that TOC plays important roles in controlling legacy Hg release and MeHg production. The actual weekly intakes of Hg via consumption of cultured catfish and wild topmouth culter were higher than the established provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI) of MeHg. These results indicated that although the nearby chlor-alkali plant has been shut down for three decades, the release of legacy Hg stored in the sediment still adversely affects this ecosystem. Moreover, aquaculture could enhance MeHg production and control MeHg distribution in the polluted aquatic ecosystem, potentially posing a health risk to surrounding inhabitants through consumption of fish.

Optimal design of an electricity-intensive industrial facility subject to electricity price uncertainty: Stochastic optimization and scenario reduction

When considering the design of electricity-intensive industrial processes, a challenge is that future electricity prices are highly uncertain. Design decisions made before construction can affect operations decades into the future. We thus explore whether including electricity price uncertainty into the design process affects design decisions.We apply stochastic optimization to the design and operations of a chlor-alkali plant, an electrochemical process that produces chlorine, caustic soda, and hydrogen. Chlor-alkali production is electricity intensive and can be operated flexibly based on fluctuating electricity prices. We consider participation in the 5-min real time market and consider each day as a scenario in the stochastic program.We find that flexible plant designs that oversize certain plant components can enhance participation in electricity markets and increase profits. When electricity-price uncertainty is considered by using stochastic optimization, the optimal system design includes fuel cell and hydrogen storage capacity, which allow the plant to hedge against price uncertainty. We furthermore find that scenario reduction techniques, which are used to reduce computational complexity, in our example approximate the expected objective function value well, but lead to error in terms of optimal design decision variables. This error ranges from not building some components (fuel cell and hydrogen storage capacity) to overestimating their capacities by 50%.

Scheduling chemical processes for frequency regulation

Fast-paced demand response programs like frequency regulation play an important role in real-time balancing of the demand and supply of electricity. Chemical plants are a desirable participant in demand response programs due to their localized, large electricity demand, and to their ability to modulate power demand by properly scheduling production and product storage. However, the dynamics of such loads are complex and nonlinear, and must be explicitly accounted for when engaging in demand response or frequency regulation. Considerations such as ramp rate and capacity limits, which are typically employed on the grid side in managing demand response activities, do not sufficiently characterize the transient properties of the operation of chemical processes. Thus, using exogenous demand response dispatch signals for marshaling frequency regulation may be economically suboptimal or impossible to follow by a chemical plant. Motivated by the above, a new approach to frequency regulation that guarantee feasible power modulation and is well-suited for chemical processes is developed in this work. New metrics for describing the flexibility of the process for frequency regulation are provided. The strategy is demonstrated for a relevant class of industrial process – chlor-alkali production. It is shown that frequency regulation service can be provided with minimum disruption to the operations of the chemical process.

ЭФФЕКТИВНЫЕ ТЕХНОЛОГИИ ДОБЫЧИ И ОЧИСТКИ РАССОЛА ДЛЯ МЕМБРАННОГО ЭЛЕКТРОЛИЗА

The technologies of brine extraction and purification for chlor-alkali production are
 considered. The main directions of improvement of production are noted.

Demand response-oriented dynamic modeling and operational optimization of membrane-based chlor-alkali plants

Power-intensive processes can potentially provide significant demand response (DR) services. Modeling such processes for demand response is not trivial as models must depict plant transient properties under highly dynamic operation while remaining computationally efficient. We develop a demand response-oriented model for an important power-intensive process i.e., chlor-alkali production using membrane cells, and demonstrate the provision of fast demand response by an industrial-size plant. Through an extensive simulation and optimization case study, we show that the fast modulation of the cell power demand is possible without adverse impact on cell concentration and temperature. Additionally, the cell temperature dynamics are found to restrict the demand response capacity of the plant and must to be explicitly accounted for to support dynamic cell operation in DR scenarios. Substantial load curtailment during peak electricity price periods can be achieved and the energy cost to the electrolysis plant can be reduced.

Sediment accumulation and mixing in the Penobscot River and estuary, Maine

Mercury (Hg) was discharged in the late 1960s into the Penobscot River by the Holtra-Chem chlor-alkali production facility, which was in operation from 1967 to 2000. To assess the transport and distribution of total Hg, and recovery of the river and estuary system from Hg pollution, physical and radiochemical data were assembled from sediment cores collected from 58 of 72 coring stations sampled in 2009. These stations were located throughout the lower Penobscot River, and included four principal study regions, the Penobscot River (PBR), Mendall Marsh (MM), the Orland River (OR), and the Penobscot estuary (ES). To provide the geochronology required to evaluate sedimentary total Hg profiles, 58 of 72 sediment cores were dated using the atmospheric radionuclide tracers 137Cs, 210Pb, and 239,240Pu. Sediment cores were assessed for depths of mixing, and for the determination of sediment accumulation rates using both geochemical (total Hg) and radiochemical data. At most stations, evidence for significant vertical mixing, derived from profiles of 7Be (where possible) and porosity, was restricted to the upper ~1–3cm. Thus, historic profiles of both total Hg and radionuclides were only minimally distorted, allowing a reconstruction of their depositional history. The pulse input tracers 137Cs and 239,240Pu used to assess sediment accumulation rates agreed well, while the steady state tracer 210Pb exhibited weaker agreement, likely due to irregular lateral sediment inputs.

Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of hydrogen fuel production from chlor-alkali processes in the United States

By-product hydrogen from chlor-alkali processes can help meet the increasing demand for hydrogen fuel in early fuel cell electric vehicle markets (e.g., California) in the U.S. Hydrogen produced from chlor-alkali plants is typically combusted for process heat on site, vented to the atmosphere (i.e., wasted), or sold to the external merchant hydrogen market. Whether it is combusted, vented, or sold as a commodity, relevant information is lacking as to the life-cycle environmental benefits or trade-offs of using by-product hydrogen from chlor-alkali plants. A life-cycle analysis framework was employed to evaluate well-to-gate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with by-product hydrogen from chlor-alkali processes in comparison with hydrogen from the conventional centralized natural gas steam methane reforming (central SMR) pathway. U.S.-specific, plant-by-plant, and up-to-date chlor-alkali production characteristics were incorporated into the analysis. In addition to the venting and combustion scenarios, to deal with the multi-functionality of the chlor-alkali processes that simultaneously produce chlorine, sodium hydroxide, and hydrogen, two different co-product allocation strategies were adopted—mass allocation and market value allocation. It was estimated that by-product hydrogen production from chlor-alkali processes creates 1.3–9.8 kg CO2e/kg H2 of life-cycle GHG emissions on average, which is 20–90% less than the conventional central SMR pathway. The results vary with co-product treatment scenarios, regional electric grid characteristics, on-site power generation, product prices, and hydrogen yield. Despite the variations in the results, it was concluded that the life-cycle GHG emission reduction benefits of using by-product hydrogen from chlor-alkali processes are robust. With a diverse set of scenario analyses, the study developed a comprehensive and detailed life-cycle GHG emissions inventory of the chlor-alkali by-product hydrogen pathway and quantified sensitivity indices in the context of different assumptions and input parameter values.

PCDD/PCDF formation in the chlor-alkali process—laboratory study and comparison with patterns from contaminated sites

Studies on the formation of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) during the electrolysis of sodium chloride solution (brine) using graphite or titanium electrodes were carried out at a laboratory scale. High concentrations of PCDFs but no PCDDs were formed in tests using graphite electrodes. With titanium electrodes, PCDFs were only formed when tar pitch was added and mainly originated from the dibenzofuran present in the tar. For the first time, a detailed assessment of the formation of mono- to octachlorinated PCDD/PCDF from tar pitch was investigated. The assessment included of the chlorination steps proved that PCDFs were formed by successive lateral chlorinated from dibenzofuran to MonoCDFs, DiCDFs, and TriCDFs to form the typical known "chlorine pattern" of TetraCDF to OctaCDF with a dominance of 1,2,7,8- and 2,3,7,8-TetraCDFs, 1,2,3,7,8-PentaCDF, and 1,2,3,4,7,8-HexaCDF as marker congeners. The final homologue distributions depended on reaction time and reaction temperature. In addition, electrolysis with non-chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofuran, and biphenyl was carried out. As a result, PCDDs, PCDFs, and PCB were formed at comparable yields. Congener patterns in soil samples from a PCDD/F-contaminated site where chlor-alkali electrolysis had been operated for decades in Japan had identical isomer distribution demonstrating the source and contamination potential and risk of these processes. Therefore, sites where in the past 120 years chlor-alkali electrolysis has been operated or where residues from chlor-alkali production or other chlorine using industries have been disposed should be assessed for their pollution level and exposure relevance. The assessment of total organohalogen content revealed that PCDF is only a small fraction of organohalogens in the contaminated soils. For an appropriate risk assessment, also other chlorinated aromatic compounds such as PCBs or PCNs need to be considered.

Simulation of a 2 MW PEM Fuel Cell Plant for Hydrogen Recovery from Chlor-Alkali Industry

Some chemical processes, like the chlor-alkali production, generate significant amount of hydrogen as byproduct whose recovery within the chemical plant is not always possible. An efficient and attractive use of hydrogen is obtained installing a PEM fuel cell-based cogeneration unit, whose electricity and heat production covers part of plant consumptions. Practical application of this concept requires scaling up the fuel cell plant up to the multi-MW scale, an ongoing process with many open challenges where the development of dedicated modeling tools allows evaluating the plant expected performances and optimizing its operational strategies. This work presents the results of a the simulation activity modeling of an innovative 2 MW PEM fuel cell power plant, developed within the European project DEMCOPEM-2MW. Simulations are performed with ASPEN Plus®, including a specifically developed lumped model for the stacks in order to investigate their behavior as function of inlet streams conditions and of power set point. The BOP is modeled with particular attention to component expected operating conditions, efficiency, auxiliary consumption, pressure drops. The model is calibrated and validated on data from PEM stacks operated by Nedstack and MTSA in previous installations. Stacks model performs lumped energy and mass balances according to regressed polarization curves; cells decay is modeled through simplified assumptions aiming at evidencing the impact on auxiliaries operation and on global efficiency. Comparison with a different arrangement where excess hydrogen exiting the fuel cell anode is oxidized in a combustor, instead of being recirculated to the fuel cell, is also set up evidencing the possibility to increase the heat to electricity ratio and allow high temperature heat production. The model also allows assessing and optimizing the plant operational strategies (e.g. minimizing the power production and efficiency losses vs. lifetime), evaluating the deviations of real plant behavior from theoretical conditions.

Estimates of recovery of the Penobscot River and estuarine system from mercury contamination in the 1960's

Mercury (Hg) was discharged in the late 1960s into the Penobscot River by a chlor-alkali production facility, HoltraChem. Using total Hg concentration profiles from 56 stations (58 sediment cores) in the Penobscot River (PBR), Mendall Marsh (MM), Orland River (OR) and Penobscot Estuary (ES), and sediment accumulation rates derived using detailed profiles of total Hg concentrations and radionuclide activities (137Cs, 239,240Pu, 210Pb), recovery from system-wide Hg pollution was assessed. Total Hg concentration profiles showed sharp maxima at depths attributed in time to a 1967 release date, and were divided into two sections: the first 21years (1967–1988; rapid recovery), and the recent 21years (1988–2009; slower recovery). The recent 21years of Hg input were used to estimate ‘apparent’ recovery rates, yielding exponentially decreasing total Hg concentrations. Apparent recovery half-times (T1/2=ln2/α) were calculated from an exponential fit of Hg(t)=Hg(t=21)∗exp(−α∗t)+Hg(∞) to total Hg concentration profiles over the past 21years (assuming Hg(∞) of 0, 100, or 400ngg−1). Mean T1/2 values were, at PBR 31years (16 of 24 cores), at MM 22years (9 of 11 cores), at ES 20 to 120years (mean of 78years; 12 of 18 cores), and at OR 69years (3 of 5 cores). In 18 out of 57 cores, concentrations either increased towards the surface or remained the same, indicating slower or incomplete ‘communication’ with the larger system. The Penobscot River and Estuary system has recovered substantially since 1967, and top 1cm sediment Hg concentrations (Hg(0)) from areas in rapid communication with the larger system are converging to 600–700ngg−1 (1967 maxima of 70,000+ngg−1). However, to recover from Hg(0) of 700ngg−1 to a Hg(∞) of <100ngg−1 would require 3 or more half-times.

Characterization of Mercury Contamination Surrounding a Chloralkali Production Facility in Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina

ABSTRACTTuzla is among the most polluted cities of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The main source of pollution in the area is soil heavily contaminated by mercury released from a former chloralkali plant. This paper is focused on the characterization of mercury contaminated soil and air surrounding the chloralkali plant. In soil, the mobility and transformation of mercury were investigated by sequential extraction, while the methylation and reduction potentials were determined by the use of a radioactive tracer. Mercury emission from soil was determined by laboratory and by flux chamber measurements in the field. In addition, mercury concentrations in air were estimated by the analysis of air and the transplanted lichen Hypogymnia physodes. Mercury in soils in the vicinity of the chloralkali plant exceeded the background value by a factor of more than 3000. The fractionation of mercury in surface soil by sequential extraction showed that the mercury in soil was primarily bound to organic matter and a fraction containing elemental mercury and mercury (I) chloride is also significant. The obtained methylation and reduction potentials are low. The mercury flux from soil was estimated by two approaches. Fluxes of up to 8000 ng/m2/day were measured at the most polluted site; evaporation from soil was shown to be the primary source of elevated mercury in air. Air concentration mapping also revealed other sources of mercury; the most likely is the 715 MW coal power plant in the vicinity of former chloralkali facility.

Chlor-alkali Production, Safety, and Industry Leadership

Chlor-alkali Production, Safety, and Industry Leadership

Biofilm composition in the Olt River (Romania) reservoirs impacted by a chlor-alkali production plant

Freshwater biofilms can be useful indicators of water quality and offer the possibility to assess contaminant effects at the community level. The present field study examines the effects of chlor-alkali plant effluents on the community composition of biofilms grown in the Olt River (Romania) reservoirs. The relationship between ambient water quality variables and community composition alterations was explored. Amplicon sequencing revealed a significant modification of the composition of microalgal, bacterial and fungal communities in the biofilms collected in the impacted reservoirs in comparison with those living in the uncontaminated control reservoir. The abundance corrected Simpson index showed lower richness and diversity in biofilms collected in the impacted reservoirs than in the control reservoir. The biofilm bacterial communities of the impacted reservoirs were characterized by the contaminant-tolerant Cyanobacteria and Bacteroidetes, whereas microalgal communities were predominantly composed of Bacillariophyta and fungal communities of Lecanoromycetes and Paraglomycetes. A principal component analysis revealed that major contaminants present in the waste water of the chlor-alkali production plant, i.e. Na+, Ca2+, Cl- and Hg, were correlated with the alteration of biofilm community composition in the impacted reservoirs. However, the biofilm composition was also influenced by water quality variables such as NO3-, SO42-, DOC and Zn from unknown sources. The results of the present study imply that, even when below the environmental quality standards, typical contaminants of chlor-alkali plant releases may affect biofilm composition and that their impacts on the microbial biodiversity might be currently overlooked.

Environmental challenges of the chlor-alkali production: Seeking answers from a life cycle approach.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has been used to assess the environmental sustainability of the chlor-alkali production in Europe. The three current technologies applied nowadays are mercury, diaphragm, and membrane cell technology. Despite, having achieved higher energy efficiencies since the introduction of membrane technology, energy consumption is still one of the most important issues in this sector. An emerging technology namely oxygen-depolarised cathodes (ODC) is suggested as a promising approach for reducing the electrolysis energy demand. However, its requirement of pure oxygen and the lack of production of hydrogen, which could otherwise be valorised, are controversial features for greener chlorine production. The aim of this work is to evaluate and compare the environmental profiles of the current and emerging technologies for chlorine production and to identify the main hot spots of the process. Salt mining, brine preparation, electrolysis technology and products treatment are included inside the system boundaries. Twelve environmental impact categories grouped into natural resources usage and environmental burdens are assessed from cradle to gate and further normalised and weighted. Furthermore, hydrogen valorisation, current density and allocation procedure are subjected to sensitivity analysis. Results show that the electrolysis stage is the main contributor to the environmental impacts due to energy consumption, causing 99.5-72% of these impacts. Mercury is the less environmentally sustainable technology, closely followed by diaphragm. This difference becomes bigger after normalisation, owing to hazardous waste generated by mercury technique. Conversely, best results are obtained for ODC instead of membrane scenario, although the reduction in energy requirements is lesser than expected (7%).

Hydrogen production by plasma electrolysis reactor of KOH-ethanol solution

Plasma electrolysis has great potential in industrial hydrogen production, chlor-alkali production, and waste water treatment. Plasma electrolysis produces more hydrogen with less energy consumption than hydrocarbon or Faraday electrolysis. This paper investigated the hydrogen production by plasma electrolysis of KOH-ethanol solution at 80 °C and 1 atm. The effects of voltage, KOH solution, ethanol addition, and cathode deep on plasma electrolysis performance were studied. The hydrogen production was analyzed using bubble flow meter and hydrogen analyzer. The electrical energy consumption was measured by a digital multimeter. The effectiveness of plasma electrolysis in terms of hydrogen production was evaluated by comparing it with Faraday Electrolysis. The results showed that hydrogen produced by plasma electrolysis is 149 times higher than the hydrogen produced by Faraday electrolysis. The optimum hydrogen production was 50.71 mmol/min, obtained at 700 V with 0.03 M KOH, 10% vol ethanol and 6.6 cm cathode deep, with energy consumption 1.49 kJ/mmol. The result demonstrates a promising path for hydrogen production by utilizing plasma electrolysis reactor.