CH₄ Reforming with CO₂ in a Segmented Packed-Bed Dielectric Barrier Discharge Reactor

CO₂ and CH₄ are the top two greenhouse gases for global warming and climate change, which has brought disastrous effects on human health, social economy and environment. The greenhouse effect can be lessened by converting greenhouse gases into useful compounds. In this work, plasma assisted CH₄ reforming with CO₂ has been carried out in a coaxial DBD reactor with segmented electrodes. γ-Al₂O₃ and Zeolite particles were packed in the reactor with different configurations. The influences of packing configurations on the electrical characteristics and reforming reaction performance have been investigated. The voltage-current waveforms, Lissajous figures, and charge generation and transfer characteristics have been compared under different packing configurations to understand the variations in electrical characteristics. The corresponding reaction performance has also been evaluated in terms of reactant conversion, product selectivity, carbon balance and the energy efficiency for reactant conversions.