Sustainable Production of Carbon Monoxide by Direct Current Gas Discharge

Carbon is the centerpiece in most chemicals and fuels. In light of climate change non-fossil paths to supply it are necessary. Carbon monoxide is a key molecule for carbon utilization. Forming it into hydrocarbons is an established process. Gliding arc plasma sources can produce it by ’warm’ plasma, which has high reactivity and space-time yield at low energy input. The first part of this work deals with the construction and characterization of two gliding arc plasma sources and driver circuits. In the second part, they are used to split CO₂ into carbon monoxide and oxygen in a coaxial reactor utilizing a ceramic quench. Two new plasma processes are presented in the third part as less energy intensive alternatives: The calcination of a carbonates and simultaneous splitting of CO₂ by plasma as well as the gasification of organic solid waste coupled to reforming to syngas. In the fourth part, the processes are evaluated economically for a simplified example syngas-to-methanol plant.