Plasma-assisted catalysis for CH₄ and CO₂ conversion

This paper presents a critical review of recent advances in the processes of converting CO₂ and CH₄ gases into fine chemicals using plasma-assisted catalysis. The general principles of plasma-catalytic processes are summarized, presenting schematics and operation principles of typical plasma reactors for applications in catalysis. The applications of plasma in various catalytic CO₂ and/or CH₄ conversion processes are discussed and the advantages of using plasma in catalysis compared to traditional thermal processes are highlighted. Among all the plasma reactors presented in the review, the use of the DBD reactor for CO₂ and CH₄ conversion is described in detail due to its simplicity, possible configuration changes, easy catalyst replacement and its mild operating conditions during the process compared to other types of plasma reactors. The paper presents also the postulated reaction paths and a comparison of the efficiency and the selectivities obtained during the dry reforming of methane process using various type of reactors. Current challenges and outlook for plasma-assisted catalytic processes are also presented.