Plasma fluidized beds and their scalability

Abstract

Over the last decade, plasma catalysis has attracted considerable research attention as an emerging low-carbon technology. In plasma catalysis, stable molecules such as CO₂, CH₄, and N₂ are activated by electron impact or electrical energy, thereby ushering in a low-temperature chemistry domain that departs from energy-intensive, heat-dependent systems. Moreover, renewable-energy-driven plasma technologies are expected to help realize power-to-X schemes. In this short review, fluidized bed (FB) reactors incorporated with dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) are explored as potential candidates for upscaling plasma catalysis systems without employing a numbering-up approach. To that end, a scaled-up FB-DBD reactor is conceptualized using CO₂ methanation as a model reaction, followed by the validation of laboratory-scale FB-DBD reactors, which exhibit remarkably high feed gas conversion rates at temperatures lower than those of thermal catalysis units. Finally, certain salient conclusions and perspectives are presented.