Abstract
Plasma-assisted dry reforming of methane (DRM) is considered as a potential way to convert natural gas into fuels and chemicals under near ambient temperature and pressure; particularly for distributed processes based on renewable energy. Both catalytic and photocatalytic technologies have been applied for DRM to investigate the CH4 conversion and the energy efficiency of the process. For conventional catalysis; metaldoped Ni-based catalysts are proposed as a leading vector for further development. However; coke deposition leads to fast deactivation of catalysts which limits the catalyst lifetime. Photocatalysis in combination with non-thermal plasma (NTP), on the other hand; is an enabling technology to convert CH4 to more reactive intermediates. Placing the catalyst directly in the plasma zone or using post-plasma photocatalysis could generate a synergistic effect to increase the formation of the desired products. In this review; the recent progress in the area of NTP-(photo)catalysis applications for DRM has been described; with an in-depth discussion of novel plasma reactor types and operational conditions including employment of ferroelectric materials and nanosecond-pulse discharges. Finally, recent developments in the area of optical diagnostic tools for NTP, such as optical emission spectroscopy (OES), in-situ FTIR, and tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS), are reviewed.
Highlights
Natural gas is an abundant, cheap, and underutilized resource with increasing proved reserves.It is mainly used as a source of energy for heating and power generation
tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) is commonly divided into two categories: direct absorption spectroscopy (DAS) in which the parameters are inferred from the direct absorption signal, and wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS) in which the parameters are coupled in the harmonics of the high-frequency (>100 kHz) wavelength-modulated absorption signal
The reactant conversion can be improved by proper reactor design, i.e., by increasing the number of molecules passing through the active plasma region
Summary
Natural gas is an abundant, cheap, and underutilized resource with increasing proved reserves. In the present form, photocatalytic processes are relatively inefficient and, are unlikely to compete with large-scale industrial chemical processes in short and midterm Their ability to produce fuels paves the way for the potential storage of solar energy, which could not be utilized otherwise [8,9]. The paper describes main plasma reactor types used in the DRM reaction with a detailed view on the application of dielectric barrier discharge reactors. This is followed by an overview of applications of ferroelectric and/or catalytic materials and examples of synergistic effects between NTP and relevant catalysts. We discussed the potential benefits of plasma-based CH4 conversion and its impact on distributed energy production and climate change
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