Effect of dielectric packing materials on the decomposition of carbon dioxide using DBD microplasma reactor

Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) decomposition was performed at a normal atmosphere and room temperature in dielectric barrier discharge microplasma reactors to reduce CO 2 emissions and convert CO 2 into valuable chemical materials. The outlet gases, including CO 2 , CO, and O 2 , were analyzed with gas chromatography. The results indicated that the conversions of CO 2 in dielectric material‐packed reactors were all higher than that in nonpacked reactors. Particle size, dielectric constant, particle morphology, and acid‐base properties of the dielectric materials (including quartz wool, quartz sand, γ‐Al 2 O 3 , MgO, and CaO) all affected the CO 2 decomposition process. The conversion of CO 2 and energy efficiency achieved the highest values of 41.9 and 7.1% in a CaO‐packed reactor for the higher dielectric constant and basicity of CaO. Quartz wool was also an excellent dielectric packing material because its fiber structure provided rigid sharp edges. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J , 61: 898–903, 2015