A hydrocarbon cracking process for producing gaseous hydrogen and solid carbon in a medium consisting of a pool of molten metals and/or salts, characterized in that the heat required for the cracking reaction is supplied to said molten pool by circulating an electric current directly in said molten pool obtained by applying an electric field supplied by electrodes immersed in said molten pool.

The invention relates to an apparatus for investigating electrocatalytic reactions comprising a container (3) having a stirrer (5), wherein the container (3) is internally lined with an electrically insulating coating or is manufactured from an electrically insulating material and the stirrer (5) has at least one stirrer shaft (17) provided with an electrically insulating coating or manufactured from an electrically insulating material and electrodes (9, 9a, 9b; 11, 11a, 11b) configured as exchangeable baskets (7; 7a; 7b) are positioned in the container (3).

An apparatus for forming C1 to C5 alcohol, carboxylic acid, or mixture thereof from carbon dioxide and hydrogen is described. The apparatus comprises: a dielectric barrier discharge, DBD, device arranged to generate a plasma; and a passageway having an inlet for the carbon dioxide and the hydrogen and an outlet for the C1 to C5 alcohol, carboxylic acid, or mixture thereof and including therein a catalyst comprising nickel and/or cobalt and/or copper on a support. The passageway extends, at least in part, through the DBD device wherein, in use, the carbon dioxide is exposed to the catalyst in the presence of the hydrogen in the generated plasma, thereby forming the C1 to C5 alcohol, carboxylic acid, or mixture thereof from at least some of the carbon dioxide and the hydrogen. The DBD devices comprises a water electrode. A method and a catalyst are also described.