Experimental and theoretical study of the fundamental mechanisms of nitrogen fixation by plasma and plasma-catalysis: towards the development of novel, environmentally friendly and efficient processes

Nitrogen (N2) is a chemical element used to form N2/O2 and N2/CH4 non thermal plasmas (NTPs) in the liquid and gas phases. However, the nitrogen fixation is currently produced through costly chemical processes, such as Haber-Bosch.
The NITROPLAS project aims at acquiring in depth understanding of the N2 fixation mechanisms in such non thermal plasmas (NTPs). To increase the N2 fixation rate and the yield, plasma will be combined with catalysis. The project will focus notably on the synthesis of the catalysts, their bulk characterization and their in situ functions in different reactors. Another subject is the post-mortem surface characterization of the catalytic films.
This consortium includes all major Belgian players in the field of gas conversion by NTPs, arising out of UGent (coordinator), UAntwerpen, UMons and ULB (CHANI, F. Reniers, Faculty of Sciences & 4MAT, M.P. Delplancke, Brussels School of Engineering).
Dates
Created on August 13, 2018