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Author Oliveira, M.C.; Yusupov, M.; Bogaerts, A.; Cordeiro, R.M. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Distribution of lipid aldehydes in phase-separated membranes: A molecular dynamics study Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication Archives Of Biochemistry And Biophysics Abbreviated Journal Arch Biochem Biophys  
  Volume 717 Issue Pages 109136  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract It is well established that lipid aldehydes (LAs) are able to increase the permeability of cell membranes and induce their rupture. However, it is not yet clear how LAs are distributed in phase-separated membranes (PSMs), which are responsible for the transport of selected molecules and intracellular signaling. Thus, we investigate here the distribution of LAs in a PSM by coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations. Our results reveal that LAs derived from mono-unsaturated lipids tend to accumulate at the interface between the liquid-ordered/liquiddisordered domains, whereas those derived from poly-unsaturated lipids remain in the liquid-disordered domain. These results are important for understanding the effects caused by oxidized lipids in membrane structure, properties and organization.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000767632000001 Publication Date 2022-01-24  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0003-9861 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record  
  Impact Factor 3.9 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes We thank the University of Antwerp and the Coordination of Superior Level Staff Improvement (CAPES, Brazil) for the scholarship granted. 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. Approved Most recent IF: 3.9  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:185874 Serial 6905  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Oliveira, M.C.; Cordeiro, R.M.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Effect of lipid oxidation on the channel properties of Cx26 hemichannels : a molecular dynamics study Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Archives of biochemistry and biophysics Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 746 Issue Pages 109741-12  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Intercellular communication plays a crucial role in cancer, as well as other diseases, such as inflammation, tissue degeneration, and neurological disorders. One of the proteins responsible for this, are connexins (Cxs), which come together to form a hemichannel. When two hemichannels of opposite cells interact with each other, they form a gap junction (GJ) channel, connecting the intracellular space of these cells. They allow the passage of ions, reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS), and signaling molecules from the interior of one cell to another cell, thus playing an essential role in cell growth, differentiation, and homeostasis. The importance of GJs for disease induction and therapy development is becoming more appreciated, especially in the context of oncology. Studies have shown that one of the mechanisms to control the formation and disruption of GJs is mediated by lipid oxidation pathways, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. In this study, we performed atomistic molecular dynamics simulations to evaluate how lipid oxidation influences the channel properties of Cx26 hemichannels, such as channel gating and permeability. Our results demonstrate that the Cx26 hemichannel is more compact in the presence of oxidized lipids, decreasing its pore diameter at the extracellular side and increasing it at the amino terminus domains, respectively. The permeability of the Cx26 hemichannel for water and RONS molecules is higher in the presence of oxidized lipids. The latter may facilitate the intracellular accumulation of RONS, possibly increasing oxidative stress in cells. A better understanding of this process will help to enhance the efficacy of oxidative stress-based cancer treatments.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001079100300001 Publication Date 2023-09-07  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0003-9861; 1096-0384 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record  
  Impact Factor 3.9 Times cited Open Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 3.9; 2023 IF: 3.165  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:200282 Serial 9028  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Zhang, Y.-R.; Van Laer, K.; Neyts, E.C.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Can plasma be formed in catalyst pores? A modeling investigation Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2016 Publication Applied catalysis : B : environmental Abbreviated Journal Appl Catal B-Environ  
  Volume 185 Issue 185 Pages 56-67  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract tWe investigate microdischarge formation inside catalyst pores by a two-dimensional fluid model forvarious pore sizes in the m-range and for various applied voltages. Indeed, this is a poorly understoodphenomenon in plasma catalysis. The calculations are performed for a dielectric barrier discharge inhelium, at atmospheric pressure. The electron and ion densities, electron temperature, electric field andpotential, as well as the electron impact ionization and excitation rate and the densities of excited plasmaspecies, are examined for a better understanding of the characteristics of the plasma inside a pore. Theresults indicate that the pore size and the applied voltage are critical parameters for the formation of amicrodischarge inside a pore. At an applied voltage of 20 kV, our calculations reveal that the ionizationmainly takes place inside the pore, and the electron density shows a significant increase near and inthe pore for pore sizes larger than 200m, whereas the effect of the pore on the total ion density isevident even for 10m pores. When the pore size is fixed at 30m, the presence of the pore has nosignificant influence on the plasma properties at an applied voltage of 2 kV. Upon increasing the voltage,the ionization process is enhanced due to the strong electric field and high electron temperature, andthe ion density shows a remarkable increase near and in the pore for voltages above 10 kV. These resultsindicate that the plasma species can be formed inside pores of structured catalysts (in the m range),and they may interact with the catalyst surface, and affect the plasma catalytic process.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000369452000006 Publication Date 2015-12-11  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0926-3373 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 9.446 Times cited 75 Open Access  
  Notes This work was supported by the Fund for Scientific ResearchFlanders (FWO) (Grant no. G.0217.14N), the National Natural Sci-ence Foundation of China (Grant no. 11405019), and the ChinaPostdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant no. 2015T80244). Theauthors are very grateful to V. Meynen for the useful discussions oncatalysts. This work was carried out in part using the Turing HPCinfrastructure at the CalcUA core facility of the Universiteit Antwer-pen, a division of the Flemish Supercomputer Center VSC, fundedby the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Government (departmentEWI) and the University of Antwerp. Approved Most recent IF: 9.446  
  Call Number c:irua:129808 Serial 3984  
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Author Shirazi, M.; Neyts, E.C.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title DFT study of Ni-catalyzed plasma dry reforming of methane Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Applied catalysis : B : environmental Abbreviated Journal Appl Catal B-Environ  
  Volume 205 Issue 205 Pages 605-614  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract tWe investigated the plasma-assisted catalytic reactions for the production of value-added chemicalsfrom Ni-catalyzed plasma dry reforming of methane by means of density functional theory (DFT). Weinspected many activation barriers, from the early stage of adsorption of the major chemical fragmentsderived fromCH4andCO2molecules up to the formation of value-added chemicals at the surface, focusingon the formation of methanol, as well as the hydrogenation of C1and C2hydrocarbon fragments. Theactivation barrier calculations show that the presence of surface-bound H atoms and in some cases alsoremaining chemical fragments at the surface facilitates the formation of products. This implies that thehydrogenation of a chemical fragment on the hydrogenated crystalline surface is energetically favouredcompared to the simple hydrogenation of the chemical fragment at the bare Ni(111) surface. Indeed, thepresence of hydrogen modifies the electronic structure of the surface and the course of the reactions.We therefore conclude that surface-bound H atoms, and to some extent also the remaining chemicalfragments at the crystalline surface, induce the following effects: they facilitate associative desorption ofmethanol and ethane by increasing the rate of H-transfer to the adsorbed fragments while they impedehydrogenation of ethylene to ethane, thus promoting again the desorption of ethylene. Overall, they thusfacilitate the catalytic conversion of the formed fragments from CH4and CO2, into value-added chemicals.Finally, we believe that the retention of methane fragments, especially CH3, in the presence of surface-boundHatoms (as observed here for Ni) can be regarded as an identifier for the proper choice of a catalystfor the production of value-added chemicals.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000393931000063 Publication Date 2017-01-05  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0926-3373 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 9.446 Times cited 26 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Financial support from the Reactive Atmospheric Plasmaprocessing –eDucation network (RAPID), through the EU 7thFramework Programme (grant agreement no. 606889) is grate-fully acknowledged. The calculations were performed using theTuring HPC infrastructure at the CalcUA core facility of the Univer-siteit Antwerpen, a division of the Flemish Supercomputer CenterVSC, funded by the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Approved Most recent IF: 9.446  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @ c:irua:139514 Serial 4343  
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Author Yi, Y.; Li, S.; Cui, Z.; Hao, Y.; Zhang, Y.; Wang, L.; Liu, P.; Tu, X.; Xu, X.; Guo, H.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Selective oxidation of CH4 to CH3OH through plasma catalysis: Insights from catalyst characterization and chemical kinetics modelling Type A1 Journal Article;Methane conversion
  Year 2021 Publication Applied Catalysis B-Environmental Abbreviated Journal Appl Catal B-Environ  
  Volume 296 Issue Pages 120384  
  Keywords A1 Journal Article;Methane conversion; Plasma catalysis; Selective oxidation; Methanol synthesis; Plasma chemistry; Plasma, laser ablation and surface modeling Antwerp (PLASMANT) ;  
  Abstract The selective oxidation of methane to methanol (SOMTM) by molecular oxygen is a holy grail in catalytic chemistry and remains a challenge in chemical industry. We perform SOMTM in a CH4/O2 plasma, at low temperature and atmospheric pressure, promoted by Ni-based catalysts, reaching 81 % liquid oxygenates selectivity and 50 % CH3OH selectivity, with an excellent catalytic stability. Chemical kinetics modelling shows that CH3OH in the plasma is mainly produced through radical reactions, i.e., CH4 + O(1D) → CH3O + H, fol­lowed by CH3O + H + M→ CH3OH + M and CH3O + HCO → CH3OH + CO. The catalyst characterization shows that the improved production of CH3OH is attributed to abundant chemisorbed oxygen species, originating from highly dispersed NiO phase with strong oxide support interaction with γ-Al2O3, which are capable of promoting CH3OH formation through E-R reactions and activating H2O molecules to facilitate CH3OH desorption.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000706860000003 Publication Date 2021-05-21  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0926-3373 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 9.446 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes National Natural Science Foundation of China; PetroChina Innovation Foundation; We acknowledge financial support from the PetroChina Innovation Foundation [grant ID: 2018D-5007-0501], the Young Star Project of Dalian Science and Technology Bureau [grant ID: 2019RQ042], the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant ID: 21503032] and the TOP research project of the Research Fund of the University of Antwerp [grant ID: 32249]. Approved Most recent IF: 9.446  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:178816 Serial 6793  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Wang, J.; Zhang, K.; Mertens, M.; Bogaerts, A.; Meynen, V. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Plasma-based dry reforming of methane in a dielectric barrier discharge reactor: Importance of uniform (sub)micron packings/catalysts to enhance the performance Type A1 Journal Article
  Year 2023 Publication APPLIED CATALYSIS B-ENVIRONMENTAL Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 337 Issue Pages 122977  
  Keywords A1 Journal Article; Plasma, laser ablation and surface modeling Antwerp (PLASMANT) ;  
  Abstract This study presents new insights on the effect of (sub)micrometer particle sized materials in plasma-based CO2-

CH4 reforming by investigating the performance of SiO2 spheres (with/without supported metal) of varying

particle sizes. (Sub)micron particles synthesized through the St¨ober method were used instead of (sub)millimeter

particles employed in previous studies. Increasing particle size (from 120 nm to 2390 nm) was found to first

increase and then decrease conversion and energy yield, with optimal performance achieved using 740 nm 5 wt%

Ni loaded SiO2, which improved CO2 and CH4 conversion, and energy yield to 44%, 55%, and 0.271 mmol/kJ,

respectively, compared to 20%, 27%, and 0.116 mmol/kJ in an empty reactor at the same flow rate. This is the

first to achieve significant performance improvement in a fully packed reactor, highlighting the importance of

selecting a suitable particle size. The findings can offer guidance towards rational design of catalysts for plasmabased

reactions.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001056527600001 Publication Date 2023-06-09  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0926-3373 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record  
  Impact Factor 22.1 Times cited Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes This work is supported by the China Scholarship Council (No. 201806060123); and the VLAIO Catalisti transition project CO2PERATE (HBC.2017.0692). K.Z acknowledges the EASiCHEM project funded by the Flemish Strategic Basic Research Program of the Catalisti cluster and Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (HBC.2018.0484). Approved Most recent IF: 22.1; 2023 IF: 9.446  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:196955 Serial 8797  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Wang, J.; Zhang, K.; Mertens, M.; Bogaerts, A.; Meynen, V. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Plasma-based dry reforming of methane in a dielectric barrier discharge reactor: Importance of uniform (sub)micron packings/catalysts to enhance the performance Type A1 Journal Article
  Year 2023 Publication APPLIED CATALYSIS B-ENVIRONMENTAL Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 337 Issue Pages 122977  
  Keywords A1 Journal Article; Plasma, laser ablation and surface modeling Antwerp (PLASMANT) ;  
  Abstract This study presents new insights on the effect of (sub)micrometer particle sized materials in plasma-based CO2-

CH4 reforming by investigating the performance of SiO2 spheres (with/without supported metal) of varying

particle sizes. (Sub)micron particles synthesized through the St¨ober method were used instead of (sub)millimeter

particles employed in previous studies. Increasing particle size (from 120 nm to 2390 nm) was found to first

increase and then decrease conversion and energy yield, with optimal performance achieved using 740 nm 5 wt%

Ni loaded SiO2, which improved CO2 and CH4 conversion, and energy yield to 44%, 55%, and 0.271 mmol/kJ,

respectively, compared to 20%, 27%, and 0.116 mmol/kJ in an empty reactor at the same flow rate. This is the

first to achieve significant performance improvement in a fully packed reactor, highlighting the importance of

selecting a suitable particle size. The findings can offer guidance towards rational design of catalysts for plasmabased

reactions.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001056527600001 Publication Date 2023-06-09  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0926-3373 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record  
  Impact Factor 22.1 Times cited Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes This work is supported by the China Scholarship Council (No. 201806060123); and the VLAIO Catalisti transition project CO2PERATE (HBC.2017.0692). K.Z acknowledges the EASiCHEM project funded by the Flemish Strategic Basic Research Program of the Catalisti cluster and Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (HBC.2018.0484). Approved Most recent IF: 22.1; 2023 IF: 9.446  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:196955 Serial 8798  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Yusupov, M.; Van der Paal, J.; Neyts, E.C.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Synergistic effect of electric field and lipid oxidation on the permeability of cell membranes Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Biochimica et biophysica acta : G : general subjects Abbreviated Journal Bba-Gen Subjects  
  Volume 1861 Issue 1861 Pages 839-847  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Background: Strong electric fields are knownto affect cell membrane permeability,which can be applied for therapeutic purposes, e.g., in cancer therapy. A synergistic enhancement of this effect may be accomplished by the presence of reactive oxygen species (ROS), as generated in cold atmospheric plasmas. Little is known about the synergy between lipid oxidation by ROS and the electric field, nor on howthis affects the cell membrane permeability.

Method: We here conduct molecular dynamics simulations to elucidate the dynamics of the permeation process under the influence of combined lipid oxidation and electroporation. A phospholipid bilayer (PLB), consisting of di-oleoyl-phosphatidylcholine molecules covered with water layers, is used as a model system for the plasma membrane.

Results and conclusions:Weshow howoxidation of the lipids in the PLB leads to an increase of the permeability of the bilayer to ROS, although the permeation free energy barriers still remain relatively high. More importantly, oxidation of the lipids results in a drop of the electric field threshold needed for pore formation (i.e., electroporation) in the PLB. The created pores in the membrane facilitate the penetration of reactive plasma species deep into the cell interior, eventually causing oxidative damage.

General significance: This study is of particular interest for plasma medicine, as plasma generates both ROS and electric fields, but it is also of more general interest for applications where strong electric fields and ROS both come into play.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000397366200012 Publication Date 2017-01-27  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0304-4165 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.702 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work is financially supported by the Fund for Scientific Research Flanders (FWO; grant numbers: 1200216N and 11U5416N). The work was carried out using the Turing HPC infrastructure of the CalcUA core facility of the Universiteit Antwerpen, a division of the Flemish Supercomputer Center VSC, funded by the Hercules Foundation, the Flem Approved Most recent IF: 4.702  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @ c:irua:140095 Serial 4413  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Oliveira, M.C.; Yusupov, M.; Bogaerts, A.; Cordeiro, R.M. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Molecular dynamics simulations of mechanical stress on oxidized membranes Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication Biophysical chemistry Abbreviated Journal Biophys Chem  
  Volume 254 Issue Pages 106266  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Biomembranes are under constant attack of free radicals that may lead to lipid oxidation in conditions of oxidative stress. The products generated during lipid oxidation are responsible for structural and dynamical changes which may jeopardize the membrane function. For instance, the local rearrangements of oxidized lipid molecules may induce membrane rupture. In this study, we investigated the effects of mechanical stress on oxidized phospholipid bilayers (PLBs). Model bilayers were stretched until pore formation (or poration) using nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations. We studied single-component homogeneous membranes composed of lipid oxidation products, as well as two-component heterogeneous membranes with coexisting native and oxidized domains. In homogeneous membranes, the oxidation products with —OH and —OOH groups reduced the areal strain required for pore formation, whereas the oxidation product with ]O group behaved similarly to the native membrane. In heterogeneous membranes composed of oxidized and non-oxidized domains, we tested the hypothesis according to which poration may be facilitated at the domain interface region. However, results were inconclusive due to their large statistical variance and sensitivity to simulation setup parameters. We pointed out important technical issues that need to be considered in future simulations of mechanically-induced poration of heterogeneous membranes. This research is of interest for photodynamic therapy and plasma medicine, because ruptured and intact plasma membranes are experimentally considered hallmarks of necrotic and apoptotic cell death.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000502890900015 Publication Date 2019-09-13  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0301-4622 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.402 Times cited Open Access  
  Notes São Paulo Research Foundation, 2012/50680-5 ; National Counsel of Technological and Scientific Development, 459270/2014-1 ; We are thankful for the financial support received from the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) (grant no. 2012/50680-5) and from the National Counsel of Technological and Scientific Development (CNPq) (grant no. 459270/2014-1). MCO acknowledges UFABC for the Master's scholarship granted. Approved Most recent IF: 2.402  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:163477 Serial 5374  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Khalilov, U.; Bogaerts, A.; Neyts, E.C. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Atomic-scale mechanisms of plasma-assisted elimination of nascent base-grown carbon nanotubes Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Carbon Abbreviated Journal Carbon  
  Volume 118 Issue 118 Pages 452-457  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Selective etching allows for obtaining carbon nanotubes with a specific chirality. While plasma-assisted etching has already been used to separate metallic tubes from their semiconducting counterparts, little is known about the nanoscale mechanisms of the etching process. We combine (reactive) molecular dynamics (MD) and force-bias Monte Carlo (tfMC) simulations to study H-etching of CNTs. In particular, during the hydrogenation and subsequent etching of both the carbon cap and the tube, they sequentially transform to different carbon nanostructures, including carbon nanosheet, nanowall, and polyyne chains, before they are completely removed from the surface of a substrate-bound Ni-nanocluster.We also found that onset of the etching process is different in the cases of the cap and the tube, although the overall etching scenario is similar in both cases. The entire hydrogenation/etching process for both cases is analysed in detail, comparing with available theoretical and experimental evidences.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000401120800053 Publication Date 2017-03-26  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0008-6223 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 6.337 Times cited 2 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes U. K. gratefully acknowledges financial support from the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO), Belgium (Grant No. 12M1315N). The work was carried out in part using the Turing HPC infrastructure of the CalcUA core facility of the Universiteit Antwerpen, a division of the Flemish Supercomputer Centre VSC, funded by the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Government (department EWI) and the Universiteit Antwerpen. The authors also thank Prof. A. C. T. van Duin for sharing the ReaxFF code. Approved Most recent IF: 6.337  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @ c:irua:141915 Serial 4531  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Bogaerts, A.; Zhang, Q.-Z.; Zhang, Y.-R.; Van Laer, K.; Wang, W. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Burning questions of plasma catalysis: Answers by modeling Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication Catalysis today Abbreviated Journal Catal Today  
  Volume 337 Issue Pages 3-14  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Plasma catalysis is promising for various environmental, energy and chemical synthesis applications, but the underlying mechanisms are far from understood. Modeling can help to obtain a better insight in these mechanisms. Some burning questions relate to the plasma behavior inside packed bed reactors and whether plasma can penetrate into catalyst pores. In this paper, we try to provide answers to these questions, by means of both fluid modeling and particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision simulations. We present a short overview of recent findings obtained in our group by means of modeling, i.e., the enhanced electric field near the contact points and the streamer propagation through the packing in packed bed reactors, as well as the plasma behavior in catalyst pores, to determine the minimum pore size in which plasma streamers can penetrate.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000482179500002 Publication Date 2019-04-24  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0920-5861 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.636 Times cited 7 Open Access  
  Notes University of Antwerp, the European Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships “GlidArc”; “CryoEtch” within Horizon2020, 657304 702604 ;We would like to thank H.-H. Kim for performing experiments to validate the modeling of streamer propagation in packed bed reactors. We acknowledge financial support from the TOP-BOF project of the University of Antwerp, the European Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships “GlidArc” and “CryoEtch” within Horizon2020 (Grant Nos. 657304 and 702604). Approved Most recent IF: 4.636  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:161775 Serial 5356  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Ndayirinde, C.; Gorbanev, Y.; Ciocarlan, R.-G.; De Meyer, R.; Smets, A.; Vlasov, E.; Bals, S.; Cool, P.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Plasma-catalytic ammonia synthesis : packed catalysts act as plasma modifiers Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Catalysis today Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 419 Issue Pages 114156-12  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract We studied the plasma-catalytic production of NH3 from H2 and N2 in a dielectric barrier discharge plasma reactor using five different Co-based catalysts supported on Al2O3, namely Co/Al2O3, CoCe/Al2O3, CoLa/Al2O3, CoCeLa/Al2O3 and CoCeMg/Al2O3. The catalysts were characterized via several techniques, including SEM-EDX, and their performance was compared. The best performing catalyst was found to be CoLa/Al2O3, but the dif-ferences in NH3 concentration, energy consumption and production rate between the different catalysts were limited under the same conditions (i.e. feed gas, flow rate and ratio, and applied power). At the same time, the plasma properties, such as the plasma power and current profile, varied significantly depending on the catalyst. Taken together, these findings suggest that in the production of NH3 by plasma catalysis, our catalysts act as plasma modifiers, i.e., they change the discharge properties and hence the gas phase plasma chemistry. Importantly, this effect dominates over the direct catalytic effect (as e.g. in thermal catalysis) defined by the chemistry on the catalyst surface.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000987221300001 Publication Date 2023-04-10  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0920-5861 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 5.3 Times cited 3 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This research was supported by 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 the Methusalem project of the University of Antwerp. We also gratefully acknowledge the NH3-TPD analysis performed by Sander Bossier. Approved Most recent IF: 5.3; 2023 IF: 4.636  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:197268 Serial 8917  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Bogaerts, A.; Centi, G.; Hessel, V.; Rebrov, E. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Challenges in unconventional catalysis Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Catalysis today Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 420 Issue Pages 114180  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Catalysis science and technology increased efforts recently to progress beyond conventional “thermal” catalysis and face the challenges of net-zero emissions and electrification of production. Nevertheless, a better gaps and opportunities analysis is necessary. This review analyses four emerging areas of unconventional or less- conventional catalysis which share the common aspect of using directly renewable energy sources: (i) plasma catalysis, (ii) catalysis for flow chemistry and process intensification, (iii) application of electromagnetic (EM) fields to modulate catalytic activity and (iv) nanoscale generation at the catalyst interface of a strong local EM by plasmonic effect. Plasma catalysis has demonstrated synergistic effects, where the outcome is higher than the sum of both processes alone. Still, the underlying mechanisms are complex, and synergy is not always obtained. There is a crucial need for a better understanding to (i) design catalysts tailored to the plasma environment, (ii) design plasma reactors with optimal transport of plasma species to the catalyst surface, and (iii) tune the plasma conditions so they work in optimal synergy with the catalyst. Microfluidic reactors (flow chemistry) is another emerging sector leading to the intensification of catalytic syntheses, particularly in organic chemistry. New unconventional catalysts must be designed to exploit in full the novel possibilities. With a focus on (a) continuous-flow photocatalysis, (b) electrochemical flow catalysis, (c) microwave flow catalysis and (d) ultra­ sound flow activation, a series of examples are discussed, with also indications on scale-up and process indus­ trialisation. The third area discussed regards the effect on catalytic performances of applying oriented EM fields spanning several orders of magnitude. Under well-defined conditions, gas breakdown and, in some cases, plasma formation generates activated gas phase species. The EM field-driven chemical conversion processes depend further on structured electric/magnetic catalysts, which shape the EM field in strength and direction. Different effects influencing chemical conversion have been reported, including reduced activation energy, surface charging, hot spot generation, and selective local heating. The last topic discussed is complementary to the third, focusing on the possibility of tuning the photo- and electro-catalytic properties by creating a strong localised electrical field with a plasmonic effect. The novel possibilities of hot carriers generated by the plasmonic effect are also discussed. This review thus aims to stimulate the reader to make new, creative catalysis to address the challenges of reaching a carbon-neutral world.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001004623300001 Publication Date 2023-05-09  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0920-5861 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 5.3 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The EU ERC Synergy SCOPE project supported this work (project ID 810182) “ Surface-COnfined fast-modulated Plasma for process and Energy intensification in small molecules conversion”. This review thus aims to stimulate the reader to make new, creative catalysis to address the challenges of reaching a carbon-neutral world. Approved Most recent IF: 5.3; 2023 IF: 4.636  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:196446 Serial 7380  
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Author Michielsen, I.; Uytdenhouwen, Y.; Pype, J.; Michielsen, B.; Mertens, J.; Reniers, F.; Meynen, V.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title CO 2 dissociation in a packed bed DBD reactor: First steps towards a better understanding of plasma catalysis Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Chemical engineering journal Abbreviated Journal Chem Eng J  
  Volume 326 Issue 326 Pages 477-488  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Plasma catalysis is gaining increasing interest for CO2 conversion, but the interaction between the plasma and catalyst is still poorly understood. This is caused by limited systematic materials research, since most works combine a plasma with commercial supported catalysts and packings. In the present paper, we study the influence of specific material and reactor properties, as well as reactor/bead configuration, on the conversion and energy efficiency of CO2 dissociation in a packed bed dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor. Of the various packing materials investigated, BaTiO3 yields the highest conversion and energy efficiency, i.e., 25% and 4.5%.

Our results show that, when evaluating the influence of catalysts, the impact of the packing (support) material itself cannot be neglected, since it can largely affect the conversion and energy efficiency. This shows the large potential for further improvement of packed bed plasma reactors for CO2 conversion and other chemical conversion reactions by adjusting both packing (support) properties and catalytically active sites. Moreover, we clearly prove that comparison of results obtained in different reactor setups should be done with care, since there is a large effect of the reactor setup and reactor/bead configuration.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000406137200047 Publication Date 2017-06-01  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1385-8947 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 6.216 Times cited 49 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This research was carried out with financial support of the Institute for the Promotion of Innovation by Science and Technology in Flanders (IWT Flanders) for both I. Michielsen (IWT-141093) and J. Pype (IWT-131229) and of the Walloon region through the excellence programme FLYCOAT (nr. 1318147) for the profilometry measurements. The authors also acknowledge financial support from an IOF-SBO project from the University of Antwerp and from the Fund for Scientific Research (FWO; grant number: G.0254.14 N). This research was carried out in the framework of the network on Physical Chemistry of Plasma-Surface Interactions – Interuniversity Attraction Poles, phase VII (http://psi-iap7.ulb. ac.be/), and supported by the Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO). The authors would also like to thank Koen Van Laer for the discussions on this manuscript. Approved Most recent IF: 6.216  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @ c:irua:144802 Serial 4626  
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Author Wang, W.; Mei, D.; Tu, X.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Gliding arc plasma for CO 2 conversion: Better insights by a combined experimental and modelling approach Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Chemical engineering journal Abbreviated Journal Chem Eng J  
  Volume 330 Issue Pages 11-25  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract A gliding arc plasma is a potential way to convert CO2 into CO and O2, due to its non-equilibrium character, but little is known about the underlying mechanisms. In this paper, a self-consistent two-dimensional (2D) gliding arc model is developed, with a detailed non-equilibrium CO2 plasma chemistry, and validated with experiments. Our calculated values of the electron number density in the plasma, the CO2 conversion and energy efficiency show reasonable agreement with the experiments, indicating that the model can provide a realistic picture of the plasma chemistry. Comparison of the results with classical thermal conversion, as well as other plasma-based technologies for CO2 conversion reported in literature, demonstrates the non-equilibrium character of the gliding arc, and indicates that the gliding arc is a promising plasma reactor for CO2 conversion. However, some process modifications should be exploited to further improve its performance. As the model provides a realistic picture of the plasma behaviour, we use it first to investigate the plasma characteristics in a whole gliding arc cycle, which is necessary to understand the underlying mechanisms. Subsequently, we perform a chemical kinetics analysis, to investigate the different pathways for CO2 loss and formation. Based on the revealed discharge properties and the underlying CO2 plasma chemistry, the model allows us to propose solutions on how to further improve the

CO2 conversion and energy efficiency by a gliding arc plasma.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000414083300002 Publication Date 2017-07-22  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1385-8947 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 6.216 Times cited 38 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This research was supported by the European Marie Skłodowska- Curie Individual Fellowship “GlidArc” within Horizon 2020 (Grant No. 657304) and by the FWO project (grant G.0383.16N). The support of this experimental work by the EPSRC CO2Chem Seedcorn Grant and the FWO travel grant for study abroad (Grant K2.128.17N) is gratefully acknowledged. 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. Approved Most recent IF: 6.216  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:145033 Serial 4636  
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Author Wang, W.; Kim, H.-H.; Van Laer, K.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Streamer propagation in a packed bed plasma reactor for plasma catalysis applications Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Chemical engineering journal Abbreviated Journal Chem Eng J  
  Volume 334 Issue Pages 2467-2479  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract A packed bed dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) is widely used for plasma catalysis applications, but the exact plasma characteristics in between the packing beads are far from understood. Therefore, we study here these plasma characteristics by means of fluid modelling and experimental observations using ICCD imaging, for packing materials with different dielectric constants. Our study reveals that a packed bed DBD reactor in dry air at atmospheric pressure may show three types of discharges, i.e. positive restrikes, filamentary microdischarges, which can also be localized between two packing beads, and surface discharges (so-called surface ionization

waves). Restrikes between the dielectric surfaces result in the formation of filamentary microdischarges, while surface charging creates electric field components parallel to the dielectric surfaces, leading to the formation of surface discharges. A transition in discharge mode occurs from surface discharges to local filamentary discharges between the packing beads when the dielectric constant of the packing rises from 5 to 1000. This may have implications for the efficiency of plasma catalytic gas treatment, because the catalyst activation may be limited by constraining the discharge to the contact points of the beads. The production of reactive species occurs most in the positive restrikes, the surface discharges and the local microdischarges in between the beads, and is less significant in the longer filamentary microdischarges. The faster streamer propagation and discharge development with higher dielectric constant of the packing beads leads to a faster production of reactive species. This study is of great interest for plasma catalysis, where packing beads with different dielectric constants are often used as supports for the catalytic materials. It allows us to better understand how different packing materials can influence the performance of packed bed plasma reactors for environmental applications.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000418533400246 Publication Date 2017-11-23  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1385-8947 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 6.216 Times cited 36 Open Access Not_Open_Access: Available from 10.01.2020  
  Notes We acknowledge financial support from the Fund for Scientific Research Flanders (FWO) (grant nos G.0217.14 N, G.0254.14 N and G.0383.16 N), the TOP-BOF project of the University of Antwerp, the European Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship “GlidArc” within Horizon2020 (Grant No. 657304) and the Institute for the Promotion of Innovation by Science and Technology in Flanders (IWT Flanders). This research was carried out in the framework of the network on Physical Chemistry of Plasma-Surface Interactions – Interuniversity Attraction Poles, phase VII (http://psi-iap7.ulb.ac.be/), and supported by the Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO). The calculations were carried out 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. Approved Most recent IF: 6.216  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:147864 Serial 4800  
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Author Uytdenhouwen, Y.; Van Alphen, S.; Michielsen, I.; Meynen, V.; Cool, P.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title A packed-bed DBD micro plasma reactor for CO 2 dissociation: Does size matter? Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Chemical engineering journal Abbreviated Journal Chem Eng J  
  Volume 348 Issue Pages 557-568  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract DBD plasma reactors are of great interest for environmental and energy applications, such as CO2 conversion, but they suffer from limited conversion and especially energy efficiency. The introduction of packing materials has been a popular subject of investigation in order to increase the reactor performance. Reducing the discharge gap of the reactor below one millimetre can enhance the plasma performance as well. In this work, we combine both effects and use a packed-bed DBD micro plasma reactor to investigate the influence of gap size reduction, in combination with a packing material, on the conversion and efficiency of CO2 dissociation. Packing materials used in this work were SiO2, ZrO2, and Al2O3 spheres as well as glass wool. The results are compared to a regular size reactor as a benchmark. Reducing the discharge gap can greatly increase the CO2 conversion, although at a lower energy efficiency. Adding a packing material further increases the conversion when keeping a constant residence time, but is greatly dependent on the material composition, gap and sphere size used. Maximum conversions of 50–55% are obtained for very long residence times (30 s and higher) in an empty reactor or with certain packing material combinations, suggesting a balance in CO2 dissociation and recombination reactions. The maximum energy efficiency achieved is 4.3%, but this is for the regular sized reactor at a short residence time (7.5 s). Electrical characterization is performed to reveal some trends in the electrical behaviour of the plasma upon reduction of the discharge gap and addition of a packing material.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000434467000055 Publication Date 2018-05-03  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1385-8947 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 6.216 Times cited 22 Open Access Not_Open_Access: Available from 03.05.2020  
  Notes We acknowledge financial support from the European Fund for Regional Development through the cross-border collaborative Interreg V program Flanders-the Netherlands (project EnOp), the Fund for Scientific Research (FWO; Grant Number: G.0254.14N) and an IOF-SBO (SynCO2Chem) project from the University of Antwerp. Approved Most recent IF: 6.216  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:151238 Serial 4956  
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Author Li, K.; Liu, J.-L.; Li, X.-S.; Lian, H.-Y.; Zhu, X.; Bogaerts, A.; Zhu, A.-M. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Novel power-to-syngas concept for plasma catalytic reforming coupled with water electrolysis Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Chemical engineering journal Abbreviated Journal Chem Eng J  
  Volume 353 Issue Pages 297-304  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract We propose a novel Power to Synthesis Gas (P2SG) approach, composed of two high-efficiency and renewable electricity-driven units, i.e., plasma catalytic reforming (PCR) and water electrolysis (WE), to produce high quality syngas from CH4, CO2 and H2O. As WE technology is already commercial, we mainly focus on the PCR unit, consisting of gliding arc plasma and Ni-based catalyst, for oxidative dry reforming of methane. An energy efficiency of 78.9% and energy cost of 1.0 kWh/Nm3 at a CH4 conversion of 99% and a CO2 conversion of 79% are obtained. Considering an energy efficiency of 80% for WE, the P2SG system yields an overall energy efficiency of 79.3% and energy cost of 1.8 kWh/Nm3. High-quality syngas is produced without the need for posttreatment units, featuring the ideal stoichiometric number of 2, with concentration of 94.6 vol%, and a desired CO2 fraction of 1.9 vol% for methanol synthesis. The PCR unit has the advantage of fast response to adapting to fluctuation of renewable electricity, avoiding local hot spots in the catalyst bed and coking, in contrast to conventional catalytic processes. Moreover, pure O2 from the WE unit is directly utilized by the PCR unit for oxidative dry reforming of methane, and thus, no air separation unit, like in conventional processes, is required. This work demonstrates the viability of the P2SG approach for large-scale energy storage of renewable electricity via electricity-to-fuel conversion.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000441527900029 Publication Date 2018-07-20  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1385-8947 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 6.216 Times cited 7 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This project is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (11705019, 11475041), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (DUT16QY49, DUT16LK16) and the Fund for Scientific Research Flanders (FWO; grant G.0383.16N). Approved Most recent IF: 6.216  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:153059 Serial 5049  
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Author Trenchev, G.; Nikiforov, A.; Wang, W.; Kolev, S.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Atmospheric pressure glow discharge for CO2 conversion : model-based exploration of the optimum reactor configuration Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication Chemical engineering journal Abbreviated Journal Chem Eng J  
  Volume 362 Issue 362 Pages 830-841  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract We investigate the performance of an atmospheric pressure glow discharge (APGD) reactor for CO2 conversion in three different configurations, through experiments and simulations. The first (basic) configuration utilizes the well-known pin-to-plate design, which offers a limited conversion. The second configuration improves the reactor performance by employing a vortex-flow generator. The third, “confined” configuration is a complete redesign of the reactor, which encloses the discharge in a limited volume, significantly surpassing the conversion rate of the other two designs. The plasma properties are investigated using an advanced plasma model.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000457863500084 Publication Date 2019-01-18  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1385-8947; 1873-3212 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 6.216 Times cited 4 Open Access Not_Open_Access: Available from 15.10.2019  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 6.216  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:157459 Serial 5269  
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Author Uytdenhouwen, Y.; Bal, Km.; Michielsen, I.; Neyts, Ec.; Meynen, V.; Cool, P.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title How process parameters and packing materials tune chemical equilibrium and kinetics in plasma-based CO2 conversion Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication Chemical engineering journal Abbreviated Journal Chem Eng J  
  Volume 372 Issue Pages 1253-1264  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Plasma (catalysis) reactors are increasingly being used for gas-based chemical conversions, providing an alternative method of energy delivery to the molecules. In this work we explore whether classical concepts such as

equilibrium constants, (overall) rate coefficients, and catalysis exist under plasma conditions. We specifically

investigate the existence of a so-called partial chemical equilibrium (PCE), and how process parameters and

packing properties influence this equilibrium, as well as the overall apparent rate coefficient, for CO2 splitting in

a DBD plasma reactor. The results show that a PCE can be reached, and that the position of the equilibrium, in

combination with the rate coefficient, greatly depends on the reactor parameters and operating conditions (i.e.,

power, pressure, and gap size). A higher power, higher pressure, or smaller gap size enhance both the equilibrium constant and the rate coefficient, although they cannot be independently tuned. Inserting a packing

material (non-porous SiO2 and ZrO2 spheres) in the reactor reveals interesting gap/material effects, where the

type of material dictates the position of the equilibrium and the rate (inhibition) independently. As a result, no

apparent synergistic effect or plasma-catalytic behaviour was observed for the non-porous packing materials

studied in this reaction. Within the investigated parameters, equilibrium conversions were obtained between 23

and 71%, while the rate coefficient varied between 0.027 s−1 and 0.17 s−1. This method of analysis can provide

a more fundamental insight in the overall reaction kinetics of (catalytic) plasma-based gas conversion, in order

to be able to distinguish plasma effects from true catalytic enhancement.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000471670400116 Publication Date 2019-05-08  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1385-8947 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 6.216 Times cited 3 Open Access Not_Open_Access: Available from 05.05.2021  
  Notes European Fund for Regional Development; FWOFWO, G.0254.14N ; University of Antwerp; FWO-FlandersFWO-Flanders, 11V8915N ; The authors acknowledge financial support from the European Fund for Regional Development through the cross-border collaborative Interreg V program Flanders-the Netherlands (project EnOp), the Fund for Scientific Research (FWO; Grant Number: G.0254.14N), a TOP-BOF project and an IOF-SBO (SynCO2Chem) project from the University of Antwerp. K. M. B. was funded as a PhD fellow (aspirant) of the FWOFlanders (Fund for Scientific Research-Flanders), Grant 11V8915N. Approved Most recent IF: 6.216  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @UA @ admin @ c:irua:159979 Serial 5171  
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Author Zhou, R.; Zhou, R.; Xian, Y.; Fang, Z.; Lu, X.; Bazaka, K.; Bogaerts, A.; Ostrikov, K.(K.) pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Plasma-enabled catalyst-free conversion of ethanol to hydrogen gas and carbon dots near room temperature Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Chemical Engineering Journal Abbreviated Journal Chem Eng J  
  Volume 382 Issue 382 Pages 122745  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Selective conversion of bio-renewable ethanol under mild conditions especially at room temperature remains a major challenge for sustainable production of hydrogen and valuable carbon-based materials. In this study, adaptive non-thermal plasma is applied to deliver pulsed energy to rapidly and selectively reform ethanol in the absence of a catalyst. Importantly, the carbon atoms in ethanol that would otherwise be released into the environment in the form of CO or CO2 are effectively captured in the form of carbon dots (CDs). Three modes of non-thermal spark plasma discharges, i.e. single spark mode (SSM), multiple spark mode (MSM) and gliding spark mode (GSM), provide additional flexibility in ethanol reforming by controlling the processes of energy transfer and distribution, thereby affecting the flow rate, gas content, and energy consumption in H-2 production. A favourable combination of low temperature (< 40 degrees C), attractive conversion rate (gas flow rate of similar to 120 mL/min), high hydrogen yield (H-2 content > 90%), low energy consumption (similar to 0.96 kWh/m(3) H-2) and the effective generation of photoluminescent CDs (which are applicable for bioimaging or biolabelling) in the MSM indicate that the proposed strategy may offer a new carbon-negative avenue for comprehensive utilization of alcohols and mitigating the increasingly severe energy and environmental issues.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000503381200200 Publication Date 2019-09-07  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1385-8947; 1873-3212 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 15.1 Times cited 20 Open Access  
  Notes ; ; Approved Most recent IF: 15.1; 2020 IF: 6.216  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:165648 Serial 6318  
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Author Andersen, Ja.; Christensen, Jm.; Østberg, M.; Bogaerts, A.; Jensen, Ad. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Plasma-catalytic dry reforming of methane: Screening of catalytic materials in a coaxial packed-bed DBD reactor Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Chemical Engineering Journal Abbreviated Journal Chem Eng J  
  Volume 397 Issue Pages 125519  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract The combination of catalysis with non-thermal plasma is a promising alternative to thermal catalysis. A dielectric-barrier discharge reactor was used to study plasma-catalytic dry reforming of methane at ambient pressure and temperature and a fixed plasma power of 45 W. The effect of different catalytic packing materials was evaluated in terms of conversion, product selectivity, and energy efficiency. The conversion of CO2 (~22%) and CH4 (~33%) were found to be similar in plasma-only and when introducing packing materials in plasma. The main reason is the shorter residence time of the gas due to packing geometry, when compared at identical flow rates. H2, CO, C2-C4 hydrocarbons, and oxygenates were identified in the product gas. High selectivity towards H2 and CO were found for all catalysts and plasma-only, with a H2/CO molar ratio of ~0.9. The lowest syngas selectivity was obtained with Cu/Al2O3 (~66%), which instead, had the highest alcohol selectivity (~3.6%).  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000542296100011 Publication Date 2020-05-17  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1385-8947 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 15.1 Times cited Open Access  
  Notes Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark; We thank Haldor Topsoe A/S for providing all the catalytic materials used and the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, for funding this project. Approved Most recent IF: 15.1; 2020 IF: 6.216  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:170613 Serial 6406  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Uytdenhouwen, Y.; Hereijgers, J.; Breugelmans, T.; Cool, P.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title How gas flow design can influence the performance of a DBD plasma reactor for dry reforming of methane Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Chemical Engineering Journal Abbreviated Journal Chem Eng J  
  Volume 405 Issue Pages 126618  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract DBD plasma reactors are commonly used in a static ‘one inlet – one outlet’ design that goes against reactor design principles for multi-component reactions, such as dry reforming of methane (DRM). Therefore, in this paper we have developed a novel reactor design, and investigated how the shape and size of the reaction zone, as well as gradual gas addition, and the method of mixing CO2 and CH4 can influence the conversion and product com­ position of DRM. Even in the standard ‘one inlet – one outlet’ design, the direction of the gas flow (i.e. short or long path through the reactor, which defines the gas velocity at fixed residence time), as well as the dimensions of the reaction zone and the power delivery to the reactor, largely affect the performance. Using gradual gas addition and separate plasma activation zones for the individual gases give increased conversions within the same operational parameters, by optimising mixing ratios and kinetics. The choice of the main (pre-activated) gas and the direction of gas flow largely affect the conversion and energy cost, while the gas inlet position during separate addition only influences the product distribution.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000626511800005 Publication Date 2020-08-12  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1385-8947 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 6.216 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Interreg; Flanders; FWO; University of Antwerp; The authors acknowledge financial support from the European Fund for Regional Development through the cross-border collaborative Interreg V program Flanders-the Netherlands (project EnOp), the Fund 13 for Scientific Research (FWO; grant number: G.0254.14N), and an IOFSBO (SynCO2Chem) project from the University of Antwerp. Approved Most recent IF: 6.216  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:170609 Serial 6410  
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Author Uytdenhouwen, Y.; Bal, Km.; Neyts, Ec.; Meynen, V.; Cool, P.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title On the kinetics and equilibria of plasma-based dry reforming of methane Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Chemical Engineering Journal Abbreviated Journal Chem Eng J  
  Volume 405 Issue Pages 126630  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Plasma reactors are interesting for gas-based chemical conversion but the fundamental relation between the plasma chemistry and selected conditions remains poorly understood. Apparent kinetic parameters for the loss and formation processes of individual components of gas conversion processes, can however be extracted by performing experiments in an extended residence time range (2–75 s) and fitting the gas composition to a firstorder kinetic model of the evolution towards partial chemical equilibrium (PCE). We specifically investigated the differences in kinetic characteristics and PCE state of the CO2 dissociation and CH4 reforming reactions in a dielectric barrier discharge reactor (DBD), how these are mutually affected when combining both gases in the dry reforming of methane (DRM) reaction, and how they change when a packing material (non-porous SiO2) is added to the reactor. We find that CO2 dissociation is characterized by a comparatively high reaction rate of 0.120 s−1 compared to CH4 reforming at 0.041 s−1; whereas CH4 reforming reaches higher equilibrium conversions, 82% compared to 53.6% for CO2 dissociation. Combining both feed gases makes the DRM reaction to proceed at a relatively high rate (0.088 s−1), and high conversion (75.4%) compared to CO2 dissociation, through accessing new chemical pathways between the products of CO2 and CH4. The addition of the packing material can also distinctly influence the conversion rate and position of the equilibrium, but its precise effect depends strongly on the gas composition. Comparing different CO2:CH4 ratios reveals the delicate balance of the combined chemistry. CO2 drives the loss reactions in DRM, whereas CH4 in the mixture suppresses back reactions. As a result, our methodology provides some of the insight necessary to systematically tune the conversion process.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000621197700003 Publication Date 2020-08-12  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1385-8947 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 6.216 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The authors acknowledge financial support from the European Fund for Regional Development through the cross-border collaborative Interreg V program Flanders-the Netherlands (project EnOp), the Fund for Scientific Research (FWO; grant number: G.0254.14N), a TOP-BOF project and an IOF-SBO (SynCO2Chem) project from the University of Antwerp. Approved Most recent IF: 6.216  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:172458 Serial 6411  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Girard-Sahun, F.; Biondo, O.; Trenchev, G.; van Rooij, G.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Carbon bed post-plasma to enhance the CO2 conversion and remove O2 from the product stream Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication Chemical Engineering Journal Abbreviated Journal Chem Eng J  
  Volume 442 Issue Pages 136268  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract CO2 conversion by plasma technology is gaining increasing interest. We present a carbon (charcoal) bed placed after a Gliding Arc Plasmatron (GAP) reactor, to enhance the CO2 conversion, promote O/O2 removal and in­ crease the CO fraction in the exhaust mixture. By means of an innovative (silo) system, the carbon is constantly supplied, to avoid carbon depletion upon reaction with O/O2. Using this carbon bed, the CO2 conversion is enhanced by almost a factor of two (from 7.6 to 12.6%), while the CO concentration even increases by a factor of three (from 7.2 to 21.9%), and O2 is completely removed from the exhaust mixture. Moreover, the energy ef­ ficiency of the conversion process drastically increases from 27.9 to 45.4%, and the energy cost significantly drops from 41.9 to 25.4 kJ.L− 1. We also present the temperature as a function of distance from the reactor outlet, as well as the CO2, CO and O2 concentrations and the temperature in the carbon bed as a function of time, which is important for understanding the underlying mechanisms. Indeed, these time-resolved measurements reveal that the initial enhancements in CO2 conversion and in CO concentration are not maintained in our current setup. Therefore, we present a model to study the gasification of carbon with different feed gases (i.e., O2, CO and CO2 separately), from which we can conclude that the oxygen coverage at the surface plays a key role in determining the product composition and the rate of carbon consumption. Indeed, our model insights indicate that the drop in CO2 conversion and in CO concentration after a few minutes is attributed to deactivation of the carbon bed, due to rapid formation of oxygen complexes at the surface.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000797716700002 Publication Date 0000-00-00  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1385-8947 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 15.1 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions; European Research Council; This research was supported by 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 the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Inno­vation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 813393 (PIONEER). The calculations were performed using the Turing HPC infrastructure at the CalcUA core facility of the Universiteit Approved Most recent IF: 15.1  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:188286 Serial 7052  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Girard-Sahun, F.; Biondo, O.; Trenchev, G.; van Rooij, G.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Carbon bed post-plasma to enhance the CO2 conversion and remove O2 from the product stream Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication Chemical Engineering Journal Abbreviated Journal Chem Eng J  
  Volume 442 Issue Pages 136268  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract CO2 conversion by plasma technology is gaining increasing interest. We present a carbon (charcoal) bed placed after a Gliding Arc Plasmatron (GAP) reactor, to enhance the CO2 conversion, promote O/O2 removal and in­ crease the CO fraction in the exhaust mixture. By means of an innovative (silo) system, the carbon is constantly supplied, to avoid carbon depletion upon reaction with O/O2. Using this carbon bed, the CO2 conversion is enhanced by almost a factor of two (from 7.6 to 12.6%), while the CO concentration even increases by a factor of three (from 7.2 to 21.9%), and O2 is completely removed from the exhaust mixture. Moreover, the energy ef­ ficiency of the conversion process drastically increases from 27.9 to 45.4%, and the energy cost significantly drops from 41.9 to 25.4 kJ.L− 1. We also present the temperature as a function of distance from the reactor outlet, as well as the CO2, CO and O2 concentrations and the temperature in the carbon bed as a function of time, which is important for understanding the underlying mechanisms. Indeed, these time-resolved measurements reveal that the initial enhancements in CO2 conversion and in CO concentration are not maintained in our current setup. Therefore, we present a model to study the gasification of carbon with different feed gases (i.e., O2, CO and CO2 separately), from which we can conclude that the oxygen coverage at the surface plays a key role in determining the product composition and the rate of carbon consumption. Indeed, our model insights indicate that the drop in CO2 conversion and in CO concentration after a few minutes is attributed to deactivation of the carbon bed, due to rapid formation of oxygen complexes at the surface.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000797716700002 Publication Date 0000-00-00  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1385-8947 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 15.1 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions; European Research Council; This research was supported by 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 the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Inno­vation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 813393 (PIONEER). 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 also thank R. De Meyer, K. Leyssens and S. Defossé for performing the charcoal characterizations. Approved Most recent IF: 15.1  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:188286 Serial 7053  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Van Alphen, S.; Ahmadi Eshtehardi, H.; O'Modhrain, C.; Bogaerts, J.; Van Poyer, H.; Creel, J.; Delplancke, M.-P.; Snyders, R.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Effusion nozzle for energy-efficient NOx production in a rotating gliding arc plasma reactor Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication Chemical Engineering Journal Abbreviated Journal Chem Eng J  
  Volume 443 Issue Pages 136529  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Plasma-based NOx production is of interest for sustainable N2 fixation, but more research is needed to improve its performance. One of the current limitations is recombination of NO back into N2 and O2 molecules immediately after the plasma reactor. Therefore, we developed a novel so-called “effusion nozzle”, to improve the perfor­mance of a rotating gliding arc plasma reactor for NOx production, but the same principle can also be applied to other plasma types. Experiments in a wide range of applied power, gas flow rates and N2/O2 ratios demonstrate an enhancement in NOx concentration by about 8%, and a reduction in energy cost by 22.5%. In absolute terms, we obtain NOx concentrations up to 5.9%, at an energy cost down to 2.1 MJ/mol, which are the best values reported to date in literature. In addition, we developed four complementary models to describe the gas flow, plasma temperature and plasma chemistry, aiming to reveal why the effusion nozzle yields better performance. Our simulations reveal that the effusion nozzle acts as very efficient heat sink, causing a fast drop in gas tem­perature when the gas molecules leave the plasma, hence limiting the recombination of NO back into N2 and O2. This yields an overall higher NOx concentration than without the effusion nozzle. This immediate quenching right at the end of the plasma makes our effusion nozzle superior to more conventional cooling options, like water cooling In addition, this higher NOx concentration can be obtained at a slightly lower power, because the effusion nozzle allows for the ignition and sustainment of the plasma at somewhat lower power. Hence, this also explains the lower energy cost. Overall, our experimental results and detailed modeling analysis will be useful to improve plasma-based NOx production in other plasma reactors as well.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000800010600003 Publication Date 0000-00-00  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1385-8947 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 15.1 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This research was supported by the Excellence of Science FWO-FNRS project (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. Approved Most recent IF: 15.1  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:188283 Serial 7057  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Wang, Y.; Chen, Y.; Harding, J.; He, H.; Bogaerts, A.; Tu, X. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Catalyst-free single-step plasma reforming of CH4 and CO2 to higher value oxygenates under ambient conditions Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication Chemical Engineering Journal Abbreviated Journal Chem Eng J  
  Volume 450 Issue Pages 137860  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Direct conversion of CH4 and CO2 to liquid fuels and chemicals under mild conditions is appealing for biogas conversion and utilization but challenging due to the inert nature of both gases. Herein, we report a promising plasma process for the catalyst-free single-step conversion of CH4 and CO2 into higher value oxygenates (i.e., methanol, acetic acid, ethanol, and acetone) at ambient pressure and room temperature using a water-cooled dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor, with methanol being the main liquid product. The distribution of liquid products could be tailored by tuning the discharge power, reaction temperature and residence time. Lower discharge powers (10–15 W) and reaction temperatures (5–20 ◦ C) were favourable for the production of liquid products, achieving the highest methanol selectivity of 43% at 5 ◦ C and 15 W. A higher discharge power and reaction temperature, on the other hand, produced more gaseous products, particularly H2 (up to 26% selec­tivity) and CO (up to 33% selectivity). In addition, varying these process parameters (discharge power, reaction temperature and residence time) resulted in a simultaneous change in key discharge properties, such as mean electron energy (Ee), electron density (ne) and specific energy input (SEI), all of which are essential determiners of plasma chemical reactions. According to the results of artificial neural network (ANN) models, the relative importance of these process parameters and key discharge indicators on reaction performance follows the order: discharge power > reaction temperature > residence time, and SEI > ne > Ee, respectively. This work provides new insights into the contributions and tuning mechanism of multiple parameters for optimizing the reaction performance (e.g., liquid production) in the plasma gas conversion process.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000830813300004 Publication Date 0000-00-00  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1385-8947 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 15.1 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This project received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie SklodowskaCurie grant agreement No. 813393. Approved Most recent IF: 15.1  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:189502 Serial 7100  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Andersen, Ja.; Holm, Mc.; van 't Veer, K.; Christensen, Jm.; Østberg, M.; Bogaerts, A.; Jensen, Ad. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Plasma-catalytic ammonia synthesis in a dielectric barrier discharge reactor: A combined experimental study and kinetic modeling Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Chemical engineering journal Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 457 Issue Pages 141294  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Plasma-catalytic ammonia synthesis in a dielectric barrier discharge reactor has emerged as a possible route for electrification of nitrogen fixation. In this study, we use a combination of experiments and a plasma kinetic model to investigate the ammonia synthesis from N2 and H2, both with and without a solid packing material in the plasma zone. The effect of plasma power, feed flow rate, N2:H2 feed ratio, gas residence time, temperature, and packing material (MgAl2O4 alone or impregnated with Co or Ru) on the ammonia synthesis rate were examined in the experiments. The kinetic model was employed to improve our understanding of the ammonia formation pathways and identify possible changes in these pathways when altering the N2:H2 feed ratio. A higher NH3 synthesis rate was achieved when increasing the feed flow rate, as well as when increasing the gas tem-perature from 100 to 200 ◦C when a packing material was present in the plasma. At the elevated temperature of 200 ◦C, an optimum in the NH3 synthesis rate was observed at an equimolar feed ratio (N2:H2 =1:1) for the plasma alone and MgAl2O4, while a N2-rich feed was favored for Ru/MgAl2O4 and Co/MgAl2O4. The optimum in the synthesis rate with the N2-rich feed, where high energy electrons are more likely to collide with N2, suggests that the rate-limiting step is the dissociation of N2 in the gas phase. This is supported by the kinetic model when packing material was used. However, for the plasma alone, the model found that the N2 dissociation is only rate limiting in H2-rich feeds, whereas the limited access to H in N2-rich feeds makes the hydrogenation of N species limiting.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001058978000001 Publication Date 2023-01-05  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1385-8947 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 15.1 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes We thank Topsoe A/S for providing the catalytic materials used in the study, the research group PLASMANT (University of Antwerp) for sharing their plasma kinetic model and allocating time on their cluster for the calculations, and the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering (Technical University of Denmark) for funding the project. Approved Most recent IF: 15.1; 2023 IF: 6.216  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:195877 Serial 7234  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Van Alphen, S.; Hecimovic, A.; Kiefer, C.K.; Fantz, U.; Snyders, R.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Modelling post-plasma quenching nozzles for improving the performance of CO2 microwave plasmas Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Chemical engineering journal Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 462 Issue Pages 142217  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Given the ecological problems associated to the CO2 emissions of fossil fuels, plasma technology has gained

interest for conversion of CO2 into value-added products. Microwave plasmas operating at atmospheric pressure

have proven to be especially interesting, due to the high gas temperatures inside the reactor (i.e. up to 6000 K)

allowing for efficient thermal dissociation of CO2 into CO and O2. However, the performance of these high

temperature plasmas is limited by recombination of CO back into CO2 once the gas cools down in the afterglow.

In this work, we computationally investigated several quenching nozzles, developed and experimentally tested

by Hecimovic et al., [1] for their ability to quickly cool the gas after the plasma, thereby quenching the CO

recombination reactions. Using a 3D computational fluid dynamics model and a quasi-1D chemical kinetics

model, we reveal that a reactor without nozzle lacks gas mixing between hot gas in the center and cold gas near

the reactor walls. Especially at low flow rates, where there is an inherent lack of convective cooling due to the

low gas flow velocity, the temperature in the afterglow remains high (between 2000 and 3000 K) for a relatively

long time (in the 0.1 s range). As shown by our quasi-1D chemical kinetics model, this results in a important loss

of CO due to recombination reactions. Attaching a nozzle in the effluent of the reactor induces fast gas quenching

right after the plasma. Indeed, it introduces (i) more convective cooling by forcing cool gas near the walls to mix

with hot gas in the center of the reactor, as well as (ii) more conductive cooling through the water-cooled walls of

the nozzle. Our model shows that gas quenching and the suppression of recombination reactions have more

impact at low flow rates, where recombination is the most limiting factor in the conversion process.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000962382600001 Publication Date 2023-03-03  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1385-8947 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 15.1 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This research was supported by the Excellence of Science FWO-FNRS project (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. Approved Most recent IF: 15.1; 2023 IF: 6.216  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:195889 Serial 7250  
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