Plasma-Based CO2 Conversion

Abstract

In this chapter, we will explain why plasma is promising for CO2 conversion. First, we will give a brief introduction on plasma technology (Sect. 8.1), and highlight its unique feature for CO2 conversion (Sect. 8.2). Next, we will briefly illustrate the most common types of plasma reactors, explaining why some plasma types exhibit better energy efficiency than others (Sect. 8.3). In Sect. 8.4, we will present the state-of-the-art on plasma-based CO2 conversion, for pure CO2 splitting and the combined conversion of CO2 with either CH4, H2O or H2, for different types of plasma reactors. To put plasma technology in a broader perspective of emerging technologies for CO2 conversion, we will discuss in Sect. 8.5 its inherent promising characteristics for this application. Finally, in Sect. 8.6 we will summarize the state-of-the-art and the current limitations, and elaborate on future research directions needed to bring plasma-based CO2 conversion into real application.