Project granted in the framework of the Belgian Excellence of Science (EOS) programof FWO-FNRS (2022 – 2025)

Plasma-based H₂ synthesis from hydrocarbons is an interesting complementary approach to water electrolysis, because it also uses renewable electricity and has no CO₂ emission, and in addition, it can valorize CH₄ and plastic waste, generate high value C-materials as side-product,and is thermodynamically more favorable. However, before exploiting this application, it is crucial to gain a better fundamental understanding of the plasma processes.

This is exactly addressed in our project. We will perform green H₂ synthesis experiments from various hydrocarbons and in several plasma types, in gas-phase and in contact with liquids, and develop a multi-diagnostics platform for time- and spatially-resolved characterization, as well as novel multi-dimensional, multi-scale models, to study the underlying mechanisms in all plasma systems.We will start with simple molecules, i.e., CH₄ (gas-phase) and (m)ethanol (liquid-phase), and subsequently develop our methodologies to study H₂ synthesis from alkenes (C3-C5 and higher) and styrene, as model systems for (both gas-phase and liquid-phase) pyrolysis products of plastic waste. Besides determining the H₂ yield and energy consumption for all systems, and the detailed plasma diagnostics and modelling, we will also characterize the synthesized C, and target the latter as extra value-added product. The project outcomes will lay the basis for green H₂ synthesis by plasma technology and will open up a new area in the field of plastic waste recycling.