DIFFER
DIFFER EVENT

PhD defense: Alex van de Steeg

DIFFER PhD researcher Alex van de Steeg will defend his thesis Insight into CO2 Dissociation Kinetics in Microwave Plasma using Laser Scattering

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Summary

In our transition toward a circular economy, CO2 reduction powered by renewable energy is recognized as an opportunity to produce sustainable carbon feedstocks for the synthesis of fuels and chemicals. These fuels can be used for energy storage or the integration of fossil-dependent sectors with renewables. CO2 reduction using microwave plasma is a promising technology since it combines readily accessible microwave technology with high process scalability, conversion, and energy efficiency.
However, the main mechanisms concerning CO2 dissociation in the microwave plasma reactor are unclear. On one hand, vibrational excitation, which requires low gas temperatures, is speculated to be of particular importance in reaching high values of energy efficiency. On the other hand, recent works show high (>3500 K) gas temperatures and suggest conventional thermal chemistry, albeit at extreme conditions, dominates. In case of the latter, the maximum process energy efficiency is not well defined, as particular chemical pathways have not been proven to participate in CO2 dissociation.
In the thesis of Alex van de Steeg, laser scattering measurements in this plasma system are connected with numerical models to address the described gaps in knowledge. The common goal of the research can be formulated as: ?From understanding to optimization of the reaction pathways in CO2 plasma?.


Defense
Location: Room 0.710 in the TU/e Atlas building (max. 65 guests). Link to the event

Date
Location
Hybrid meeting

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