A direct current rotating gliding arc (RGA) reactor co-driven by a magnetic field and tangential flow has been developed for the non-oxidative decomposition of methanol into hydrogen and other valuable products. The influence of input CH3OH concentration and carrier gas (N-2 and Ar) on the reaction performance of the plasma process has been investigated in terms of the conversion of CH3OH, product selectivity, and energy efficiency of the process. The maximum CH3OH conversion of 92.4% and hydrogen selectivity of 53.1% are achieved in the plasma methanol conversion using N-2 as a carrier gas. Optical emission diagnostics has shown the formation of a variety of reactive species (e.g., H, OH, CH, CN, N-2 and C-2) in the plasma decomposition of methanol. The vibrationally and electronically excited species (e.g., N-2 (A(3)Sigma(+)(u)) and Ar*) could be critical in the conversion of CH3OH, leading to a higher CH3OH conversion in the CH3OH/N-2 RGA due to the presence of more reaction pathways. Compared to other non-thermal plasmas, the RGA plasma shows a much better process performance, offering a promising and flexible route for hydrogen production. Copyright (C) 2015, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.