| AVS 58th Annual International Symposium and Exhibition | |
| Energy Frontiers Focus Topic | Monday Sessions |
| Session EN+PS-MoM |
| Session: | Plasmas for Photovoltaics & Energy Applications |
| Presenter: | Stefan Welzel, Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands |
| Authors: | S. Welzel, Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands S. Ponduri, Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands F. Brehmer, Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands M. Creatore, Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands M.C.M. van de Sanden, Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands R. Engeln, Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Continuously increasing green house gas emissions and forthcoming (fossil) fuel depletion has stimulated research in novel fuel processing, cleaner combustion as well as CO2 capturing and conversion. Conventional fuel processing usually aims at producing syngas (CO/H2) mixtures that may be further converted into value-added hydrocarbons and oxygenates (CxHyOz). Photocatalytic CO2 hydrogenation is now considered as alternative approach which would simultaneously lead to a global green carbon cycle. It could reduce atmospheric CO2 concentrations, while at the same time provide fuels on a renewable basis that can directly be supplied to our present energy infrastructure. Since the efficiency of such an artificial photosynthesis is low, we propose the plasma-assisted hydrogenation of COx into hydrocarbons.
This contribution focuses on the efficiency of CO2 depletion and selectivity of CH4 production in a low-temperature plasma expansion. The plasma is created from mixtures of argon and hydrogen while COx is injected into the expansion part where the dissociation mechanism might be radical- and/or ion-driven. Results on measurements of the (steady state) gas composition obtained by mass spectrometry and mid-infrared tuneable diode laser absorption spectroscopy will be reported.
Especially under argon rich conditions, where the chemistry is mainly driven by combined charge exchange with the Ar ions and dissociative recombination, a CO yield of 50 % was achieved. CH4 formation was particularly detected at high hydrogen admixtures. C2Hy hydrocarbons were in most cases absent while H2O and CO turned out to be the main stable products. The results suggest an inherent syngas step during the plasma-assisted conversion approach, particularly a successive hydrogenation of CO.