Biofuels and Bioenergy

Biography

Biography: Damien Dussol

Abstract

At present our society is facing two related challenges: depletion of hydrocarbon fuel resources and the worrying prospects of global climate change associated with enormous volumes of fossil-derived CO₂ emissions. Currently the global predominant energy sources are fossil-based, i.e. coal, oil, natural gas and their usage results in the release of Ì´32 billion metric tons of CO₂/year in the atmosphere. As such, the development of new alternative ways to produce and store energy as well as new industrial technologies must be based on environmentally responsible solutions. One of the best options to produce carbon-free energy is the decarbonization of fuel energy. In this perspective, it is expected that hydrogen (H₂) will play an important role in the world’s future. Hydrogen, one of the most abundant elements on Earth, has the potential to dramatically reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. A potential source of H₂ is biomethane also known as ‘renewable natural gas’, a gas with high potential of reducing the release of greenhouse gases. Biomethane can be decomposed into H₂ and solid carbon. Microwave sustained plasma appears to be an excellent candidate for the activation of the thermodynamically stable methane molecule, as it is an excellent power transfer medium (electrons to molecules) and is compatible with sustainable electricity. This work concerns the characterization of methane discharges in a 2.45 GHz microwave reactor sustained at atmospheric pressure for the development of an efficient source for H₂ production. The experimental protocol takes into consideration various gas mixture constituents and operating conditions, e.g., flow rate, microwave input power, as to optimize the decomposition of methane molecule into H₂ and solid carbon. The economics of microwave-assisted plasma methane decomposition as a hydrogen source are evaluated.