Carbon dioxide recovering in oxygenated products by plasma assisted catalysis – VALCO2PLAS

The main goal of this project is to transform carbon dioxide in oxygenated products such as methanol or formaldehyde by plasma assisted catalytic hydrogenation, hydrogen atoms coming from light hydrocarbons. We have already observed that the CH4-CO2 reforming reaction by non-thermal plasma was able to form, in addition to CO and H2, C2 to C6 hydrocarbon products and some traces of oxygenated products. The formation of these oxygenated products should be enhanced by using a specific catalyst able to hydrogenate CO2 and/or CO to methanol and formaldehyde. Moreover, the energy input needed for the plasma formation which can lead to a partial decomposition of the oxygenated reaction products could be limited by a continuous extraction of these products from the plasma media by dissolution in a solvent or condensation on a cold wall, avoiding then their decomposition. This fundamental study will be performed along two different technological approaches, but nevertheless complementary: two consecutive plasma-catalyst reactors, the first one for the reforming reaction of CH4 by CO2 and the second one for hydrogenation of CO or CO2 to CH3OH or CH2O. The other approach will be done with a single plasma-catalyst reactor in which the concept of continuous extraction of oxygenated products from the gas phase will be tested.
Whatever the technological approach (dual or single reactor), the catalyst properties (texture, composition) and its shaping compatible with the design of the different reactors will be paramount for the success of the study. Kinetic data and reaction mechanisms will be studied by using advanced operando techniques developed within the different laboratories for the characterization of gaseous and catalyst surface adsorbed species. The main goal of this study, as well as the improvement of the knowledge of plasma surface interactions, will allow to show if a direct way of CH3OH or CH2O formation from CH4+CO2 is possible without passing through the syngas formation and then to determine the best reactor design.