@article{9278,
  author = {J. Gans and Q. Shen and W. A. Bongers and K. R. Ehrhardt and I. Jevtovikj and S. A. Schunk and A. C. Hurtado Rivera and C. Geschwindner and S. Titlbach and M. C. M. van de Sanden},
  title = {Green nitrogen fixation: Increased NOx production by catalysis using the effluent of a microwave air plasma},
  abstract = {This work experimentally investigated a 2.45 GHz microwave air plasma and a catalyst bed placed in its downstream region. The plasma condition was fixed at 965 mbar, 22.4 slm, and 600 W, while the catalyst bed temperature was the result of the heating from the plasma effluent over time. Downstream alfa-Al2O3 catalyst support pellets were found to increase NOx yields and achieve higher NO2 selectivity. Three critical parameters are assessed: the temperature, the amount of alfa-Al2O3 pellets, and the distance between the pellet bed and the plasma. Higher temperatures, greater amounts of pellets, and closer proximity of the pellets to the plasma all enhance the additional NOx formed. The findings are convoluted by NOx adsorption and desorption on the α-Al2O3 material. However, integrated over time the results clearly support a catalytic effect, producing additional NOx compared to plasma-only operation. Previous modelling efforts show negligible amounts of plasma species and no non-thermal behaviour at the start of the pellet bed. So, the downstream pellets effectively interact with a thermal gas at a relatively high temperature of 500-1000 °C. Despite the fact that the gas is thermalised, catalytic reactions can benefit from the relevant vibrational populations of N2 and O2. Therefore, the additional NOx production is speculated to be the result of high-temperature catalysis.},
  year = {2026},
  journal = {Chemical Engineering Journal},
  volume = {534},
  pages = {174826},
  doi = {10.1016/j.cej.2026.174826},
  language = {eng},
}