We propose and demonstrate an integrated electrified plasma-assisted chemical looping (PACL) process
that yields supra-equilibrium CO₂ conversions unattainable with conventional catalysis at temperatures ≪3000 K. CO₂ is first dissociated inside plasma into CO/O at supra-equilibrium conversions (up to 60%) at a bulk gas temperature of 773 K and a 403 kJ/mol energy cost. Supra-equilibrium CO₂ conversions
(29% on average) are achieved at the reactor outlet by placing a nanostructured CeO₂ /Fe₂O₃ oxygen scavenger, prereduced by H₂ plasma, downstream of the plasma zone, to capture produced oxygen species and suppress CO/O recombination. Without plasma-material synergy, such an average CO₂ conversion can only be attained at temperatures ≥ 2775 K, according to chemical equilibrium calculations. This concept of plasma-assisted chemical looping allows reaching 3-fold higher conversions than state-of-the-art plasma technologies.

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Delikonstantis E., Scapinello M., Singh V., Poelman H., Montesano C., Martini L.M., Tosi P., Marin G. B., Van Geem K. M., Galvita V. V. and Georgios D. Exceeding Equilibrium CO₂ Conversion by Plasma-Assisted Chemical Looping. ACS Energy Letters 7, 6, 1896–1902 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.2c00632

The Frontiers in Low Temperature Plasma Diagnostics (FLTPD) workshop is a European event, a continuation of a biennial series that began in 1995 at Les Houches (France). This year the FLTPD XIV is organized by the Atomic and Molecular Physics Group – Department of Physics of the Trento University and the Institute for Plasma Science and Technology of the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche. The 14th edition of FLTPD took place in Levico Terme from Sunday 1^st to Thursday 5^th, May 2022.

The workshop offers the opportunity to present recent results on plasma diagnostics and aims to bring together experts in low-temperature plasma diagnostics. It is an important and fruitful opportunity for the new generation of plasma scientists to share and discuss the knowledge of these diagnostics with the leading scientists in the field.

You can find further information on the webpage of the event here.

What they say about us

Thank you for organising a terrific conference.

Thank you very much for the superb organization of FLTPD. An excellent mix of interesting talks and friendly discussions in a highly scenic and wonderful place.

Thank you for organizing the conference – it was a marvellous place and outstandingly excellent food and service!

I would like to take the opportunity to thank you for the great conference, the perfect organization and the very nice time in Levico!

Thank you very much for the organization of this excellent and friendly conference.

Moments of FLTPD-XIV

International Scientific Committee
Nader Sadeghi, Université Grenoble Alpes, France – Chair
Uwe Czarnetzki, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany – Vice Chair
Gilles Cartry, Université Aix Marseille, France
Giorgio Dilecce, ISTP-CNR, Italy
Richard Engeln, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands
František Krčma, Brno University of Technology, Czech Republic
Kirsty Mc Kay, University of Liverpool, UK

Local Organizing Committee
Paolo Tosi, University of Trento – Chair
Giorgio Dilecce, ISTP-CNR – co-Chair
Luca Matteo Martini, University of Trento – co-Chair
Matteo Ceppelli, University of Trento
Cesare Montesano, University of Trento
Olga De Pascale, ISTP-CNR
Paolo Francesco Ambrico, ISTP-CNR

Nanosecond repetitively pulsed discharges at atmospheric pressure have shown comparatively high performances for CO₂ reduction to CO and O₂. However, mechanisms of CO₂ dissociation in these transNanosecond repetitively pulsed discharges at atmospheric pressure have shown comparatively high performances for CO₂ reduction to CO and O₂. However, mechanisms of CO₂ dissociation in these transient discharges are still a matter of discussion. In the present work, we have used time-resolved optical emission spectroscopy to investigate the CO₂ discharge progression from the initial breakdown event to the final post-discharge. We discover a complex temporal structure of the spectrally resolved light, which gives some insights into the underlying electron and chemical kinetics. We could estimate the electron density using the Stark broadening of O and C lines and the electron temperature with C+ and C++ lines. By adding a small amount of nitrogen, we could also monitor the time evolution of the gas temperature using the Second Positive System bands of N₂. We conclude that the discharge evolves from a breakdown to a spark phase, the latter being characterised by a peak electron density around 10¹⁸ cm⁻³ and a mean electron temperature around 2 eV. The spark phase offers beneficial conditions for vibrationally enhanced dissociation, which might explain the high CO₂ conversion observed in these plasma discharges.

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M. Ceppelli*, T.P.W. Salden*, L. M. Martini, G. Dilecce and P. Tosi, Time-Resolved Optical Emission Spectroscopy in CO2 Nanosecond Pulsed Discharges, Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6595/ac2411 (2021).

*M. Ceppelli and T. P. W. Salden have equally contributed to the paper.

Luca Matteo Martini was awarded the third prize in the Euregio contest for young researchers. The prize is organized by Tyrol and Trentino-Alto Adige regions. The aim of the initiative is to create a network for the emergence of new ideas.

You can find the webpage of the event here.