CO2 dissociation in an atmospheric pressure plasma/catalyst system: a study of efficiency

The continual and increasing use of fossil fuels throughout the world has advanced concerns of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations, causing a swell of scientific interest to ease the predicted effects of global warming. This work experimentally investigates the conversion of CO2 to carbon monoxide (CO) and oxygen in an atmospheric pressure microwave plasma/catalyst system. Diagnostics such as mass spectrometry and optical emission spectroscopy are used to identify the gas species present after plasma treatment and to measure plasma temperatures. The CO2 gas is first treated with plasma alone, and is then treated with a combination of plasma and rhodium (Rh) catalyst material. While the plasma system alone is able to achieve a 20% energy efficiency, the Rh catalyst actually causes a drop in efficiency due to reverse reactions occurring on the surface. The plasma temperature measurements indicate thermal equilibrium between T-r and T-v around 6000-7000 K.