Plasma-catalytic methanation of CO2

Though thermodynamically favored at low temperatures, CO2 methanation hindered by its slow reaction kinetics. Even in the presence of a catalyst, this hydrogenation reaction is substantially hindered, and thus not possible at a real time scale. The use of a cold plasma activates CO2 and H2 molecules on the catalyst’s surface resulting in the acceleration of reaction rate. Therefore, through a proper combination of plasma and catalyst results in high methane yield even at temperatures as low as 100°C, with no source of external heating. The plasma discharge and the catalytic materials need still to be optimized in order to maximize yield and energy efficiency. Credits: R. BENRABBAH, 2016 Institut de Recherche de Chimie Paris, Equipe 2PM, Paris, France Institut Jean Le Rond d’Alembert,UMR CNRS 7190, Saint Cyr L’Ecole, France. Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 6