Performance Test and Operating Condition Optimization of Parallel Plate Plasma Reactor for Carbon Dioxide Decomposition

Abstract

A dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma reactor for carbon dioxide (CO2) decomposition was developed to address the current phenomena of CO2 emissions exceeding 400 ppm in the atmosphere. As is widely known, CO2 is one of the main causes of global warming and climate change. In this research, a parallel plate plasma reactor was designed by modifying the DBD reactor configured with two parallel electrodes. The casing of the reactor was modified using an acrylic plate that acts as a shell for the optimal contact between the CO2 gas and the electrodes. The DBD reactor uses a 220 VAC line power (PLN), 50-60 Hz frequency. The performance of the DBD reactor was tested and optimized by varying the regulator output (AC) voltage and the CO2 feed flow rate to obtain the optimal operating conditions from the parallel plate plasma reactor for decomposition of CO2. The optimal process performance for the 7-gram (ozone production equivalent) plasma reactor was achieved at a discharge power of 82 Watts and a feed flow rate of 1.2 L.min-1 with CO2 conversion of 4.413% and energy efficiency of 2.093×10-3 mol.J-1. The optimal process performance for the 10-gram (ozone production equivalent) plasma reactor was achieved at a discharge power of 74 Watta and a feed flow rate of 1.2 L.min-1 with CO2 conversion of 3.949% and energy efficiency of 2.074×10-3 mol.J-1.