Plasma-catalytic dry reforming of methane over γ-Al2O3 supported metal catalysts

Non-thermal plasma-catalytic processes for CO2 conversion toward circular economy: fundamentals, current status, and future challenges

Practical and energy-efficient carbon dioxide (CO2) conversion to value-added and fuel-graded products and transitioning from fossil fuels are promising ways to cope with climate change and to enable the circular economy. The carbon circular economy aims to capture, utilize, and minimize CO2 emissions as much as possible. To cope with the thermodynamic stability and highly endothermic nature of CO2 conversion via conventional thermochemical process, the potential application of non-thermal plasma (NTP) with the catalyst, i.e., the hybrid plasma catalysis process to achieve the synergistic effects, in most cases, seems to promise alternatives under non-equilibrium conditions. This review focuses on the NTP fundamentals and comparison with conventional technologies. A critical review has been conducted on the CO2 reduction with water (H2O), methane (CH4) reduction with CO2 to syngas (CO + H2), CO2 dissociation to carbon monoxide (CO), CO2 hydrogenation, CO2 conversion to organic acids, and one-step CO2-CH4 reforming to the liquid chemicals. Finally, future challenges are discussed comprehensively, indicating that plasma catalysis has immense investigative areas.

In-depth analysis of the effect of catalysts on plasma technologies for treatment of various wastes

Energy security and waste management are gaining global attention. The modern world is producing a large amount of liquid and solid waste as a result of the increasing population and industrialization. A circular economy encourages the conversion of waste to energy and other value-added products. Waste processing requires a sustainable route for a healthy society and clean environment. One of the emerging solutions for waste treatment is plasma technology. It converts waste into syngas, oil, and char/slag depending on the thermal/non-thermal processes. Most of all the types of carbonaceous wastes can be treated by plasma processes. The addition of a catalyst to the plasma process is a developing field as plasma processes are energy intensive. This paper covers the detailed concept of plasma and catalysis. It comprises various types of plasma (non-thermal and thermal) and catalysts (zeolites, oxides, and salts) which have been used for waste treatment. Catalyst addition improves gas yield and hydrogen selectivity at moderate temperatures. Depending on the properties of the catalyst and type of plasma, comprehensive points are listed for the selection of the right catalyst for a plasma process. This review offers an in-depth analysis of the research in the field of waste-to-energy using plasma-catalytic processes.

Low-Temperature Plasma-Assisted Catalytic Dry Reforming of Methane over CeO2 Nanorod-Supported NiO Catalysts in a Dielectric Barrier Discharge Reactor

Nonthermal plasma (NTP)-assisted catalytic dry reforming of methane (DRM) is considered a powerful single-stage reaction mechanism because of its ability to activate normally stable CO2 and CH4 at a low temperature under ambient conditions. The thermodynamic barrier of DRM requires a high operating temperature (>700 °C), which can be reduced by nonequilibrium plasma. Herein, we present a method for the wet-impregnation synthesis of CeO2 nanorod (NR)-supported 5 and 15 wt % NiO catalysts for efficient NTP-promoted DRM with an applied power in the range of 24.9-25.8 W (frequency: 20 kHz), a CH4:CO2 feed gas ratio of 100:250 sccm, and a total flow rate of 350 sccm. The presence of NTP dramatically increased the reaction activity, even at 150 °C, which is usually inaccessible for thermally catalyzed DRM. The CH4 and CO2 conversion reaches a maximum of 66 and 48%, respectively, at 500 °C with the 15 wt % NiO/CeO2 NR catalyst, which are much higher than the values obtained for the 5 wt % NiO/CeO2 NR catalyst under the same conditions. According to the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy profile for 15 wt % NiO/CeO2 NR, a higher concentration of NiO on CeO2 increases the proportion of Ce3+ in the catalyst, suggesting enhanced oxygen vacancy concentration with an increased amount of NiO loading. Additionally, a higher NiO loading promotes a higher rate of replacement of Ce4+ with Ni2+, which generates more oxygen vacancies due to the induced charge imbalance and lattice distortion within the CeO2 lattice. As a result, it can be inferred that the incorporation of Ni ions into the CeO2 structure resulted in inhibited growth of CeO2 crystals due to the creation of a NixCe1-xO2-α solid solution and the production of oxygen vacancies.

Exploring Simultaneous Upgrading and Purification of Biomass−Gasified Gases Using Plasma Catalysis

Tar and substantial CH4 and CO2 are contained in gasified fuels, which pose an obstacle to direct chemical synthesis, and this is a predominant challenge for biomass gasification technology. Herein, a packed−bed dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor was built for simultaneous CH4 dry reforming and tar removal with a La−Ni/γ−Al2O3 catalyst. The interaction between CH4 dry reforming and tar removal in plasma catalysis was investigated. The results indicated that plasma catalysis can achieve high−efficiency simultaneous tar removal and CH4 dry reforming, as indicated by the reactants’ conversion (14% increase for CCH4 and CCO2 at 450 °C in the presence of tar and a 37% increase for the tar removal rate at 360 °C when CH4 and CO2 were introduced), and the mechanism for mutual promotion of CH4 dry reforming and tar removal was elucidated through catalyst characterization results. In addition, a possible reaction mechanism for tar removal via plasma catalysis was proposed. These findings provide valuable insights for simultaneous upgrading and purification of gases generated by biomass gasification.

Advanced zeolite and ordered mesoporous silica-based catalysts for the conversion of CO2 to chemicals and fuels

For many years, capturing, storing or sequestering CO₂ from concentrated emission sources or from air has been a powerful technique for reducing atmospheric CO₂. Moreover, the use of CO₂ as a C1 building block to mitigate CO₂ emissions and, at the same time, produce sustainable chemicals or fuels is a challenging and promising alternative to meet global demand for chemicals and energy. Hence, the chemical incorporation and conversion of CO₂ into valuable chemicals has received much attention in the last decade, since CO₂ is an abundant, inexpensive, nontoxic, nonflammable, and renewable one-carbon building block. Nevertheless, CO₂ is the most oxidized form of carbon, thermodynamically the most stable form and kinetically inert. Consequently, the chemical conversion of CO₂ requires highly reactive, rich-energy substrates, highly stable products to be formed or harder reaction conditions. The use of catalysts constitutes an important tool in the development of sustainable chemistry, since catalysts increase the rate of the reaction without modifying the overall standard Gibbs energy in the reaction. Therefore, special attention has been paid to catalysis, and in particular to heterogeneous catalysis because of its environmentally friendly and recyclable nature attributed to simple separation and recovery, as well as its applicability to continuous reactor operations. Focusing on heterogeneous catalysts, we decided to center on zeolite and ordered mesoporous materials due to their high thermal and chemical stability and versatility, which make them good candidates for the design and development of catalysts for CO₂ conversion. In the present review, we analyze the state of the art in the last 25 years and the potential opportunities for using zeolite and OMS (ordered mesoporous silica) based materials to convert CO₂ into valuable chemicals essential for our daily lives and fuels, and to pave the way towards reducing carbon footprint. In this review, we have compiled, to the best of our knowledge, the different reactions involving catalysts based on zeolites and OMS to convert CO₂ into cyclic and dialkyl carbonates, acyclic carbamates, 2-oxazolidones, carboxylic acids, methanol, dimethylether, methane, higher alcohols (C₂₊OH), C₂₊ (gasoline, olefins and aromatics), syngas (RWGS, dry reforming of methane and alcohols), olefins (oxidative dehydrogenation of alkanes) and simple fuels by photoreduction. The use of advanced zeolite and OMS-based materials, and the development of new processes and technologies should provide a new impulse to boost the conversion of CO₂ into chemicals and fuels.

Efficient Utilization of Hydrocarbon Mixture to Produce Aromatics over Zn/ZSM-5 and Physically Mixed with ZSM-5

A mixture of saturated and unsaturated light hydrocarbon was used as feed gas for the production of aromatics. Natural gas liquids (NGL) from gas fields and hydrocarbon molecules obtained in the middle of conversion processes could be considered a kind of light hydrocarbon mixture. Therefore, for the conversion of the mixture into aromatics compounds, Zn-impregnated ZSM-5 catalysts were prepared and evaluated by employing different loading of Zn. In addition, the catalytic performance was tested and compared by charging physically mixed two different kinds of catalysts in the bed. The NH3-TPD result showed that the impregnation of Zn led to an increase in the number of medium-strength acid sites, whereas those of weak and strong acid sites were decreased. From the results of the catalytic activity tests, 0.5Zn/ZSM-5 showed the highest aromatics yield. As the amount of Zn loading was further increased to 1 wt.%, the yield of aromatics decreased. The test result in the case of the physically mixed catalysts showed a slightly lower yield in terms of total aromatics, but showed the highest BTX yield. To reveal the relative contribution of each hydrocarbon conversion to aromatics yield, each C2 compound was separately tested for aromatization over Zn/ZSM-5.

Recent Developments in Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma-Assisted Catalytic Dry Reforming of Methane over Ni-Based Catalysts

The greenhouse effect is leading to global warming and destruction of the ecological environment. The conversion of carbon dioxide and methane greenhouse gases into valuable substances has attracted scientists’ attentions. Dry reforming of methane (DRM) alleviates environmental problems and converts CO2 and CH4 into valuable chemical substances; however, due to the high energy input to break the strong chemical bonds in CO2 and CH4, non-thermal plasma (NTP) catalyzed DRM has been promising in activating CO2 at ambient conditions, thus greatly lowering the energy input; moreover, the synergistic effect of the catalyst and plasma improves the reaction efficiency. In this review, the recent developments of catalytic DRM in a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma reactor on Ni-based catalysts are summarized, including the concept, characteristics, generation, and types of NTP used for catalytic DRM and corresponding mechanisms, the synergy and performance of Ni-based catalysts with DBD plasma, the design of DBD reactor and process parameter optimization, and finally current challenges and future prospects are provided.

Promising Utilization of CO2 for Syngas Production over Mg2+- and Ce2+-Promoted Ni/γ-Al2O3 Assisted by Nonthermal Plasma

Dry reforming of methane is conducted in a catalyst packed-bed dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor aiming to improve the reaction efficiency. The MgO- and CeO₂-promoted Ni/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst is tested to carry out the reaction. An interesting observation is that Ni/MgO_Al₂O₃ integration provides ∼35 and 13% conversion of CH₄ and CO₂, respectively. The highest syngas ratio of 0.94 is obtained with Ni/MgO_Al₂O₃, whereas the ratio is only 0.57 with Ni/CeO₂_Al₂O₃ and 0.64 with bare DBD. In addition, Ni/CeO₂_Al₂O₃ offers the highest selectivity (68%) of CO due to the oxygen buffer property of CeO₂. Finally, the optimal acid/base property is highly desirable for the dry reforming reaction.

Catalytic performance and debromination of Fe-Ni bimetallic MCM-41 catalyst for the two-stage pyrolysis of waste computer casing plastic

A computer casing plastic waste containing brominated flame retardants (BFRs) was pyrolyzed in a two-stage vertical quartz tube reactor using iron and nickel metals modified MCM-41 catalysts. Various catalysts with different ratios of Fe and Ni were prepared and utilized to study their catalytic performance. At the presence of 20%Ni/MCM-41 catalyst, the pyrolytic yield of oil and gas reached maximum values of 49.9 wt% and 13.8 wt% respectively. The co-existence of Fe and Ni showed synergistic effect on oil composition by promoting the formation of valuable single ring hydrocarbons. With regard to the 15%Fe-5%Ni/MCM-41, 10%Fe-10%Ni/MCM-41 and 5%Fe-15%Ni/MCM-41 catalysts, the production of single ring hydrocarbons were 64.58%, 65.93% and 64.74% respectively. The bimetallic catalysts also exhibited remarkable effect on eliminating bromine from pyrolytic oil. At the presence of Fe-Ni/MCM-41, the bromine in pyrolytic oil was reduced to below 4 wt% compared with 10 wt% without catalyst. Higher amounts of Fe in the catalyst is beneficial for the debromination efficiency. The debromination process by the Fe-Ni/MCM-41 may be realized by these different mechanisms: catalytic cracking of organobromines, reaction of loaded metal oxides with HBr/SbBr₃, and deposition of organobromines on the surface of catalyst.

Non-thermal plasma induced photocatalytic conversion of light alkanes into high value-added liquid chemicals under near ambient conditions

We reported a novel non-thermal plasma induced photocatalytic transformation of light hydrocarbons over Ti-Ga/UZSM-5, which gives 47.8 C% of liquid products, with C₆-C₉ iso-alkanes being the major components, and limited coke (5.5 C%). Combining the plasma with a photocatalyst displays great potential to produce gasoline range chemicals from low-cost gaseous hydrocarbons under near ambient conditions.

Plasma-enhanced catalysis for the upgrading of methane: a review of modelling and simulation methods

Modelling methods and simulation works on the upgrading of methane via plasma and plasma-enhanced catalysis reviewed.

Plasma-Enhanced Catalytic Synthesis of Ammonia over a Ni/Al2O3 Catalyst at Near-Room Temperature: Insights into the Importance of the Catalyst Surface on the Reaction Mechanism

A better fundamental understanding of the plasma-catalyst interaction and the reaction mechanism is vital for optimizing the design of catalysts for ammonia synthesis by plasma-catalysis. In this work, we report on a hybrid plasma-enhanced catalytic process for the synthesis of ammonia directly from N₂ and H₂ over transition metal catalysts (M/Al₂O₃, M = Fe, Ni, Cu) at near room temperature (∼35 °C) and atmospheric pressure. Reactions were conducted in a specially designed coaxial dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma reactor using water as a ground electrode, which could cool and maintain the reaction at near-room temperature. The transparency of the water electrode enabled operando optical diagnostics (intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD) imaging and optical emission spectroscopy) of the full plasma discharge area to be conducted without altering the operation of the reactor, as is often needed when using coaxial reactors with opaque ground electrodes. Compared to plasma synthesis of NH₃ without a catalyst, plasma-catalysis significantly enhanced the NH₃ synthesis rate and energy efficiency. The effect of different transition metal catalysts on the physical properties of the discharge is negligible, which suggests that the catalytic effects provided by the chemistry of the catalyst surface are dominant over the physical effects of the catalysts in the plasma-catalytic synthesis of ammonia. The highest NH₃ synthesis rate of 471 μmol g^–1 h^–1 was achieved using Ni/Al₂O₃ as a catalyst with plasma, which is 100% higher than that obtained using plasma only. The presence of a transition metal (e.g., Ni) on the surface of Al₂O₃ provided a more uniform plasma discharge than Al₂O₃ or plasma only, and enhanced the mean electron energy. The mechanism of plasma-catalytic ammonia synthesis has been investigated through operando plasma diagnostics combined with comprehensive characterization of the catalysts using N₂ physisorption measurements, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), NH₃-temperature-programmed desorption (TPD), and N₂-TPD. Four forms of adsorbed NH_x (x = 0, 1, 2, and 3) species were detected on the surfaces of the spent catalysts using XPS. It was found that metal sites and weak acid sites could enhance the production of NH₃ via formation of NH₂ intermediates on the surface.

Plasma-enhanced steam reforming of different model tar compounds over Ni-based fusion catalysts

Tar formation during biomass gasification is undesirable due to the decreased energy efficiency and increased costs for maintaining downstream equipment. The hybrid non-thermal plasma-catalysis method is considered to be a promising alternative, since it overcomes the disadvantages arising from both catalyst deactivation during catalytic reforming and the formation of undesirable liquid by-products in plasma reforming. SiO₂- and ZSM-5-supported Ni-based catalysts with different Ni loadings (0.5, 1, 3, and 5 wt%) were prepared by thermal fusion and applied to the steam reforming of toluene. Different characterizations of fresh and spent catalysts including XRD, H₂-TPR, N₂ adsorption-desorption, SEM, TEM, XPS and TGA were conducted to show the properties of catalysts. The results indicated that Ni/ZSM-5 exhibited better performance than Ni/SiO₂, due to the increased dispersion of Ni particles and the stronger metal-support interaction of Ni/ZSM-5, which was confirmed by the TEM and H₂-TPR results. In addition, the performances of the catalysis-only (CatO), plasma-only (PlO), and in-plasma-catalysis (IPC) systems in steam reforming of different model tar compounds including benzene, toluene, furfural, naphthalene, fluorene and pyrene were compared using Ni(5 wt%)/ZSM-5. Obvious synergistic effects between DBD plasma and Ni(5 wt%)/ZSM-5 was observed for syngas production in the IPC system.

Application of Microwave in Hydrogen Production from Methane Dry Reforming: Comparison Between the Conventional and Microwave-Assisted Catalytic Reforming on Improving the Energy Efficiency

The microwave-assisted dry reforming of methane over Ni and Ni–MgO catalysts supported on activated carbon (AC) was studied with respect to reducing reaction energy consumption. In order to optimize the reforming reaction using the microwave setup, an inclusive study was performed on the effect of operating parameters, including the type of catalysts’ active metal and their concentration in the AC support, feed flow rate, and reaction temperature on the reaction conversion and H2/CO selectivity. The methane dry reforming was also carried out using conventional heating and the results were compared to those of microwave heating. The catalysts’ activity was increased under microwave heating and as a result, the feed conversion and hydrogen selectivity were enhanced in comparison to the conventional heating method. In addition, to improve the reactants’ conversion and products’ selectivity, the thermal analysis also clarified the crucial importance of microwave heating in enhancing the energy efficiency of the reaction compared to the conventional heating.

A resource-utilization way of the waste printed circuit boards to prepare silicon carbide nanoparticles and their photocatalytic application

A resource-utilization strategy of the waste PCBs was developed: preparation of high value-added silicon carbide (SiC) nanoparticles using the waste PCBs as both silica and carbon precursors. The preparation process contained three optimized steps: acid wash pretreatment with 3 mol L^-1 nitric acid at 60 °C for 96 h, low-temperature pyrolysis at 500 °C to allow the epoxy resin to decompose into carbon, and high-temperature pyrolysis at 1600 °C (in situ carbothermal reduction) to gain pure SiC nanoparticles. The pseudo first-order reaction rate constant (k) of the p-n heterojunction of SiC/TiO₂ towards the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue was 0.0219 min^-1, 3.42 and 3.98 times that of TiO₂ and no acid washed-SiC/TiO₂, respectively.

Plasma Catalysis: Distinguishing between Thermal and Chemical Effects

The goal of this study is to develop a method to distinguish between plasma chemistry and thermal effects in a Dielectric Barrier Discharge nonequilibrium plasma containing a packed bed of porous particles. Decomposition of CaCO3 in Ar plasma is used as a model reaction and CaCO3 samples were prepared with different external surface area, via the particle size, as well as with different internal surface area, via pore morphology. Also, the effect of the CO2 in gas phase on the formation of products during plasma enhanced decomposition is measured. The internal surface area is not exposed to plasma and relates to thermal effect only, whereas both plasma and thermal effects occur at the external surface area. Decomposition rates were in our case found to be influenced by internal surface changes only and thermal decomposition is concluded to dominate. This is further supported by the slow response in the CO2 concentration at a timescale of typically 1 minute upon changes in discharge power. The thermal effect is estimated based on the kinetics of the CaCO3 decomposition, resulting in a temperature increase within 80 °C for plasma power from 0 to 6 W. In contrast, CO2 dissociation to CO and O2 is controlled by plasma chemistry as this reaction is thermodynamically impossible without plasma, in agreement with fast response within a few seconds of the CO concentration when changing plasma power. CO forms exclusively via consecutive dissociation of CO2 in the gas phase and not directly from CaCO3. In ongoing work, this methodology is used to distinguish between thermal effects and plasma–chemical effects in more reactive plasma, containing, e.g., H2.

Altering Conversion and Product Selectivity of Dry Reforming of Methane in a Dielectric Barrier Discharge by Changing the Dielectric Packing Material

We studied the influence of dense, spherical packing materials, with different chemical compositions, on the dry reforming of methane (DRM) in a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor. Although not catalytically activated, a vast effect on the conversion and product selectivity could already be observed, an influence which is often neglected when catalytically activated plasma packing materials are being studied. The α-Al2O3 packing material of 2.0–2.24 mm size yields the highest total conversion (28%), as well as CO2 (23%) and CH4 (33%) conversion and a high product fraction towards CO (~70%) and ethane (~14%), together with an enhanced CO/H2 ratio of 9 in a 4.5 mm gap DBD at 60 W and 23 kHz. γ-Al2O3 is only slightly less active in total conversion (22%) but is even more selective in products formed than α-Al2O3. BaTiO3 produces substantially more oxygenated products than the other packing materials but is the least selective in product fractions and has a clear negative impact on CO2 conversion upon addition of CH4. Interestingly, when comparing to pure CO2 splitting and when evaluating differences in products formed, significantly different trends are obtained for the packing materials, indicating a complex impact of the presence of CH4 and the specific nature of the packing materials on the DRM process.

Dry Reforming of Methane in a Gliding Arc Plasmatron: Towards a Better Understanding of the Plasma Chemistry

Dry reforming of methane (DRM) in a gliding arc plasmatron is studied for different CH₄ fractions in the mixture. The CO₂ and CH₄ conversions reach their highest values of approximately 18 and 10 %, respectively, at 25 % CH₄ in the gas mixture, corresponding to an overall energy cost of 10 kJ L^-1 (or 2.5 eV per molecule) and an energy efficiency of 66 %. CO and H₂ are the major products, with the formation of smaller fractions of C₂ H_x (x=2, 4, or 6) compounds and H₂ O. A chemical kinetics model is used to investigate the underlying chemical processes. The calculated CO₂ and CH₄ conversion and the energy efficiency are in good agreement with the experimental data. The model calculations reveal that the reaction of CO₂ (mainly at vibrationally excited levels) with H radicals is mainly responsible for the CO₂ conversion, especially at higher CH₄ fractions in the mixture, which explains why the CO₂ conversion increases with increasing CH₄ fraction. The main process responsible for CH₄ conversion is the reaction with OH radicals. The excellent energy efficiency can be explained by the non-equilibrium character of the plasma, in which the electrons mainly activate the gas molecules, and by the important role of the vibrational kinetics of CO₂ . The results demonstrate that a gliding arc plasmatron is very promising for DRM.

Plasma-assisted catalytic reforming of toluene to hydrogen rich syngas

Ni/ZSM-5 in in-plasma catalysis systems has potential for toluene conversion, syngas formation, and inhibition of undesirable by-products and coke formation.

Synergistic effects of plasma–catalyst interactions for CH4 activation

Plasma-assisted catalysis populates vibrationally excited CH₄ interacting with catalyst, leading to small energy barriers and enhanced rates to activate CH₄.

Plasma-assisted catalytic reforming of toluene to hydrogen rich syngas

Ni/ZSM-5 in in-plasma catalysis systems has potential for toluene conversion, syngas formation, and inhibition of undesirable by-products and coke formation.

Plasma technology – a novel solution for CO2 conversion?

Plasma technology as a potential breakthrough technology for the economic conversion of CO₂ into value-added chemicals and fuels.