My name is Yuxiang and I am from Guiyang, China. I worked on plasma catalysis for air pollution control and obtained my bachelor and master degree at College of Energy Engineering, Zhejiang University. My postgraduate study not only gave me valuable research experience, general knowledge of non-thermal plasma, and the ability to develop plasma systems, but also matured and deepened my enthusiasm for and curiosity towards energy and environment science, which has also led me to pursue a career researching in the field of plasma catalysis.
Now I am a PhD student under the supervision of Prof. Xin Tu at University of Liverpool and co-supervision of Prof. Annemie Bogaerts at University of Antwerp. My goal is to develop a plasma-catalytic process for CO2 into value-added chemicals at low temperatures and atmospheric pressure, which requires a hybrid of advanced catalyst material and conjugate plasma system. I cannot help feeling excited when it come to my mind that there will be a chance to cope with both energy and environment challenges in one method – PIONEER.
| Overview |  |
| ESR: | 10 |
| Title: | Plasma-catalytic CO2 hydrogenation for the production of molecules for green chemistry |
| Home Institution: | University of Liverpool (UoL) |
| 1st Supervisor: | Xin Tu |
| Host Institution: | University of Antwerp (UAntwerpen) |
| 2nd Supervisor: | Annemie Bogaerts |
| Industrial Partner: | Johnson Matthey |
| Industrial Contact: | Peter Hinde |
Objectives
In this project, a hybrid plasma-catalytic process will be developed for the conversion of CO2 (with renewable hydrogen) into value-added chemicals (e.g. methanol, ethanol, DME) at low temperatures and atmospheric pressure. The effect of different catalytic materials on the plasma-catalytic CO2 hydrogenation will be evaluated in terms of the conversion of CO2, the selectivity of products and the energy efficiency of the hybrid process. Different plasma systems (dielectric barrier discharge and gliding arc) together with different plasma-catalyst packing methods will be investigated. A wide range of catalyst characterization techniques will be used to understand the role of different catalysts in the plasma-catalyst interactions and plasma-catalytic CO2 hydrogenation. A fundamental understanding of the role of different energetic or reactive species in the plasma-catalytic CO2 hydrogenation will be available by combined means of gas/liquid analysis (GC/GCMS) and plasma diagnostics including optical emission spectroscopy and high speed photography.
Links with other ESR
- ESRs 6-9: Efficiency comparison
Expected Results
- Understand the role of energetic electrons and reactive species in the plasma-catalytic CO2 hydrogenation
- Obtain the cost-effective and optimal catalysts for the production of target chemicals with special focus on chemical nature of active metal and support materials
- Understand the roles of catalysts in the plasma-catalytic CO2 hydrogenation
- Insight into the reaction mechanisms and pathways from catalyst characterisation and plasma diagnostics
Secondments
- UAntwerp: Support by modeling work and understanding the underlying mechanisms
- Johnson Matthey: Production of catalytic materials