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Author Vervloessem, E.; Gromov, M.; De Geyter, N.; Bogaerts, A.; Gorbanev, Y.; Nikiforov, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title NH3and HNOxFormation and Loss in Nitrogen Fixation from Air with Water Vapor by Nonequilibrium Plasma Type A1 Journal Article
  Year (down) 2023 Publication ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 11 Issue 10 Pages 4289-4298  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract The current global energy crisis indicated that increasing our

insight into nonfossil fuel nitrogen fixation pathways for synthetic fertilizer

production is more crucial than ever. Nonequilibrium plasma is a good candidate

because it can use N2 or air as a N source and water directly as a H source, instead

of H2 or fossil fuel (CH4). In this work, we investigate NH3 gas phase formation

pathways from humid N2 and especially humid air up to 2.4 mol % H2O (100%

relative humidity at 20 °C) by optical emission spectroscopy and Fouriertransform

infrared spectroscopy. We demonstrate that the nitrogen fixation

capacity is increased when water vapor is added, as this enables HNO2 and NH3

production in both N2 and air. However, we identified a significant loss

mechanism for NH3 and HNO2 that occurs in systems where these species are

synthesized simultaneously; i.e., downstream from the plasma, HNO2 reacts with NH3 to form NH4NO2, which rapidly decomposes

into N2 and H2O. We also discuss approaches to prevent this loss mechanism, as it reduces the effective nitrogen fixation when not

properly addressed and therefore should be considered in future works aimed at optimizing plasma-based N2 fixation. In-line removal

of HNO2 or direct solvation in liquid are two proposed strategies to suppress this loss mechanism. Indeed, using liquid H2O is

beneficial for accumulation of the N2 fixation products. Finally, in humid air, we also produce NH4NO3, from the reaction of HNO3

with NH3, which is of direct interest for fertilizer application.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000953337700001 Publication Date 2023-03-13  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2168-0485 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 8.4 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This research is supported by the Excellence of Science FWOFNRS project (NITROPLASM, FWO grant ID GoF9618n, EOS ID 30505023), the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant No. 810182 − SCOPE ERC Synergy project), and the Fund for Scientific Research (FWO) Flanders Bioeconomy project (grant No. G0G2322N), funded by the European Union-NextGenerationEU. Approved Most recent IF: 8.4; 2023 IF: 5.951  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:195878 Serial 7254  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Vervloessem, E. url  openurl
  Title The role of pulsing and humidity in plasma-based nitrogen fixation : a combined experimental and modeling study Type Doctoral thesis
  Year (down) 2023 Publication Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages 358 p.  
  Keywords Doctoral thesis; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Nitrogen (N) is an indispensable building block for all living organisms as well as for pharmaceutical and chemical industry. In a nutshell, N is needed for plants to grow and beings to live and nitrogen fixation (NF) is the process that makes N available for plants as food by converting N2 into a reactive form, such as ammonia (NH3) or nitrogen oxides (NOx), upon reacting with O2 and H2. The aim of this thesis is to elucidate (wet) plasma-based nitrogen fixation with a focus on (1) the role of pulsing in achieving low energy consumption, (2) the role of H2O as a hydrogen source in nitrogen fixation and (3) elucidation of nitrogen fixation pathways in humid air and humid N2 plasma in a combined experimental and computational study. Furthermore, this thesis aims to take into account the knowledge-gaps and challenges identified in the discussion of the state of the art. Specifically, (1) we put our focus on branching out to another way of introducing water into the plasma system, i.e. H2O vapor, (2) we de-couple the problem for pathway elucidation by starting with characterization of the chosen plasma, next a simpler gas mixture and building up from there, (3) we include modelling, though not under wet conditions and (4) we focus on also analyzing species and performance outside liquid H2O. Firstly, based on the reaction analysis of a validated quasi-1D model, we can conclude that pulsing is indeed the key factor for energy-efficient NOx- formation, due to the strong temperature drop it causes. Secondly, the thesis shows that added H2O vapor, and not liquid H2O, is the main source of H for NH3 generation. Related to this, we discuss how the selectivity of plasma-based NF in humid air and humid N2 can be controlled by changing the humidity in the feed gas. Interestingly, NH3 production can be achieved in both N2 and air plasmas using H2O as a H source. Lastly, we identified a significant loss mechanism for NH3 and HNO2 that occurs in systems where these species are synthesized simultaneously, i.e. downstream from the plasma, HNO2 reacts with NH3 to form NH4NO2, which decomposes into N2 and H2O. This reduces the effective NF when not properly addressed, and should therefore be considered in future works aimed at optimizing plasma-based NF. In conclusion, this thesis adds further to the current state of the art of plasma-based NF both in the presence of H2O and in dry systems.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos Publication Date  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN ISBN Additional Links UA library record  
  Impact Factor Times cited Open Access  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:197038 Serial 9088  
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Author Pattyn, C.; Maira, N.; Buddhadasa, M.; Vervloessem, E.; Iseni, S.; Roy, N.C.; Remy, A.; Delplancke, M.-P.; De Geyter, N.; Reniers, F. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Disproportionation of nitrogen induced by DC plasma-driven electrolysis in a nitrogen atmosphere Type A1 Journal article
  Year (down) 2022 Publication Green Chemistry Abbreviated Journal Green Chem  
  Volume 24 Issue 18 Pages 7100-7112  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Nitrogen disproportionation i.e. its simultaneous conversion to compounds of higher (NOx) and lower (NH3) oxidation states in a N-2 DC plasma-driven electrolysis process with a plasma cathode is investigated. This type of plasma-liquid interaction exhibits a growing interest for many applications, in particular nitrogen fixation where it represents a green alternative to the Haber-Bosch process. Optical emission spectroscopy, FTIR and electrochemical sensing systems are used to characterize the gas phase physico-chemistry while the liquid phase is analyzed via ionic chromatography and colorimetric assays. Experiments suggest that lowering the discharge current enhances nitrogen reduction and facilitates the transfer of nitrogen compounds to the liquid phase. Large amounts of water vapor appear to impact the gas discharge physico-chemistry and to favor the vibrational excitation of N-2, a key parameter for an energy-efficient nitrogen fixation.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000847733600001 Publication Date 2022-08-30  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1463-9262; 1463-9270 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 9.8 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 9.8  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:190655 Serial 7145  
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Author Hollevoet, L.; Vervloessem, E.; Gorbanev, Y.; Nikiforov, A.; De Geyter, N.; Bogaerts, A.; Martens, J.A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Energy‐Efficient Small‐Scale Ammonia Synthesis Process with Plasma‐enabled Nitrogen Oxidation and Catalytic Reduction of Adsorbed NOx Type A1 Journal article
  Year (down) 2022 Publication Chemsuschem Abbreviated Journal Chemsuschem  
  Volume Issue Pages  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Industrial ammonia production without CO2 emission and with low energy consumption is one of the technological grand challenges of this age. Current Haber-Bosch ammonia mass production processes work with a thermally activated iron catalyst needing high pressure. The need for large volumes of hydrogen gas and the continuous operation mode render electrification of Haber-Bosch plants difficult to achieve. Electrochemical solutions at low pressure and temperature are faced with the problematic inertness of the nitrogen molecule on electrodes. Direct reduction of N2 to ammonia is only possible with very reactive chemicals such as lithium metal, the regeneration of which is energy intensive. Here, the attractiveness of an oxidative route for N2 activation was presented. N2 conversion to NOx in a plasma reactor followed by reduction with H2 on a heterogeneous catalyst at low pressure could be an energy-efficient option for small-scale distributed ammonia production with renewable electricity and without intrinsic CO2 footprint.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000772893400001 Publication Date 2022-03-25  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1864-5631 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 8.4 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Vlaamse regering, HBC.2019.0108 ; Vlaamse regering; KU Leuven, C3/20/067 ; We gratefully acknowledge financial support by the Flemish Government through the Moonshot cSBO project P2C (HBC.2019.0108). J.A.M. and A.B. acknowledge the Flemish Government for long-term structural funding (Methusalem). J.A.M. © 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH Approved Most recent IF: 8.4  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:187251 Serial 7054  
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Author Vervloessem, E.; Gorbanev, Y.; Nikiforov, A.; De Geyter, N.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Sustainable NOxproduction from air in pulsed plasma: elucidating the chemistry behind the low energy consumption Type A1 Journal article
  Year (down) 2022 Publication Green Chemistry Abbreviated Journal Green Chem  
  Volume 24 Issue 2 Pages 916-929  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract N-Based fertilisers are paramount to support our still-growing world population. Current industrial N<sub>2</sub>fixation is heavily fossil fuel-dependent, therefore, a lot of work is put into the development of fossil-free pathways. Plasma technology offers a fossil-free and flexible method for N<sub>2</sub>fixation that is compatible with renewable energy sources. We present here a pulsed plasma jet for direct NO<sub><italic>x</italic></sub>production from air. The pulsed power allows for a record-low energy consumption (EC) of 0.42 MJ (mol N)<sup>−1</sup>. This is the lowest reported EC in plasma-based N<sub>2</sub>fixation at atmospheric pressure thus far. We compare our experimental data with plasma chemistry modelling, and obtain very good agreement. Hence, we can use our model to explain the underlying mechanisms responsible for this low EC. The pulsed power and the corresponding pulsed gas temperature are the reason for the very low EC: they provide a strong vibrational–translational non-equilibrium and promote the non-thermal Zeldovich mechanism. This insight is important for the development of the next generation of plasma sources for energy-efficient NO<sub><italic>x</italic></sub>production.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000739578400001 Publication Date 2021-12-22  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1463-9262 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 9.8 Times cited Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes H2020 European Research Council, grant agreement no. 810182 – SCOPE ERC Synergy project ; Herculesstichting; Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, EOS ID 30505023 FWO grant ID GoF9618n ; Universiteit Antwerpen; This research was supported by the Excellence of Science FWO-FNRS project (NITROPLASM, FWO grant ID GoF9618n, EOS ID 30505023), the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement no. 810182 – SCOPE ERC Synergy project), and through long-term structural funding (Methusalem). The calculations were performed using the Turing HPC infrastructure at the CalcUA core facility of the Universiteit Antwerpen (UAntwerpen), a division of the Flemish Supercomputer Center VSC, funded by the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Government (Department EWI) and the UAntwerpen. We thank E. H. Choi and coworkers from the Plasma Bioscience Research Center (Korea) for providing the Soft Jet plasma source, as well as K. van’t Veer and C. Verheyen for the fruitful discussion on the electron loss fraction calculations. The graphical abstract was designed using resources from Flaticon.com. Approved Most recent IF: 9.8  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:185450 Serial 6906  
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Author Vervloessem, E.; Aghaei, M.; Jardali, F.; Hafezkhiabani, N.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Plasma-Based N2Fixation into NOx: Insights from Modeling toward Optimum Yields and Energy Costs in a Gliding Arc Plasmatron Type A1 Journal article
  Year (down) 2020 Publication Acs Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering Abbreviated Journal Acs Sustain Chem Eng  
  Volume 8 Issue 26 Pages 9711-9720  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Plasma technology provides a sustainable, fossil-free method for N2 fixation, i.e., the conversion of inert atmospheric N2 into valuable substances, such as NOx or ammonia. In this work, we present a novel gliding arc plasmatron at atmospheric pressure for NOx production at different N2/O2 gas feed ratios, offering a promising NOx yield of 1.5% with an energy cost of 3.6 MJ/mol NOx produced. To explain the underlying mechanisms, we present a chemical kinetics model, validated by experiments, which provides insight into the NOx formation pathways and into the ambivalent role of the vibrational kinetics. This allows us to pinpoint the factors limiting the yield and energy cost, which can help to further improve the process.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000548456600013 Publication Date 2020-07-06  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2168-0485 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 8.4 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Herculesstichting; Universiteit Antwerpen; Vlaamse regering; H2020 European Research Council, 810182 ; N2 Applied; Excellence of Science FWO – FNRS project, 30505023 GoF9618n ; Approved Most recent IF: 8.4; 2020 IF: 5.951  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:170138 Serial 6392  
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Author Gorbanev, Y.; Vervloessem, E.; Nikiforov, A.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Nitrogen fixation with water vapor by nonequilibrium plasma : toward sustainable ammonia production Type A1 Journal article
  Year (down) 2020 Publication Acs Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering Abbreviated Journal Acs Sustain Chem Eng  
  Volume 8 Issue 7 Pages 2996-3004  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Ammonia is a crucial nutrient used for plant growth and as a building block in the pharmaceutical and chemical industry, produced via nitrogen fixation of the ubiquitous atmospheric N2. Current industrial ammonia production relies heavily on fossil resources, but a lot of work is put into developing nonfossil-based pathways. Among these is the use of nonequilibrium plasma. In this work, we investigated water vapor as a H source for nitrogen fixation into NH3 by nonequilibrium plasma. The highest selectivity toward NH3 was observed with low amounts of added H2O vapor, but the highest production rate was reached at high H2O vapor contents. We also studied the role of H2O vapor and of the plasma-exposed liquid H2O in nitrogen fixation by using isotopically labeled water to distinguish between these two sources of H2O. We show that added H2O vapor, and not liquid H2O, is the main source of H for NH3 generation. The studied catalyst- and H2-free method offers excellent selectivity toward NH3 (up to 96%), with energy consumption (ca. 95–118 MJ/mol) in the range of many plasma-catalytic H2-utilizing processes.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000516665500045 Publication Date 2020-02-03  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2168-0485 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 8.4 Times cited 14 Open Access  
  Notes ; This research was supported by the Excellence of Science FWO-FNRS project (FWO grant ID GoF9618n, EOS ID 30505023), the Catalisti Moonshot project P2C, and the Methusalem project of the University of Antwerp. ; Approved Most recent IF: 8.4; 2020 IF: 5.951  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:167134 Serial 6568  
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