Treatment of fluorocarbon feedstocks

A method of treating a fluorocarbon feedstock, which method includes

• generating, in a high temperature Zone, an electrical arc between at least one cathode and at least one anode;
• generating in the high temperature zone and by means of the electrical arc and a plasma gas, a thermal plasma having a tail flame;
• introducing a fluorocarbon feedstock in liquid or vapor form and comprising at least one fluorocarbon compound having five or more carbon atoms into the tail flame of the generated thermal plasma;
• and to form a reactive thermal mixture, the fluorocarbon compound dissociating into at least one fluorocarbon precursor or reactive species having fewer than five carbon atoms;
• and
• cooling the reactive thermal mixture to form, from the fluorocarbon precursor or reactive species, a fluorocarbon product comprising at least one fluorocarbon compound having fewer than five carbon atoms.