Plasma Chemistry
Plasma technology is a potential game changer for the energy transition in the chemical industry. Traditionally, high temperature industrial processes are powered by combustion of fossil fuels - this is not sustainable in a low-CO2 emissions world. As an alternative, high temperature chemical processes in a plasma can be powered by renewable energy derived “green electrons”. Plasma technology can be applied for a diverse range of applications for production of commodity chemicals; from plastic precursors, to fuels, and fertilizers. At the plasma lab, students, researchers, and industry partners come together to optimize existing plasma technology and develop new plasma processes that can be applied and scaled up for the future chemical industry.
Brightsite plasmalab
Maastricht University has joined forces with Sitech Services, TNO, and Brightlands Chemelot Campus in the knowledge center Brightsite (https://brightsitecenter.com/) for realizing a sustainable, competitive chemical industry. Plasma R&D is a headline within the Brightsite activities, which takes place at the experimental facilities hosted by CCE at the Brightlands campus.
Projects
CANMILK
This project focusses on reducing the carbon-footprint from the bio-industry. The projects final goal is to develop a novel technology, which uses plasma-technology to convert methane into carbon dioxide, which is a much less harmful compound to the environment.
Start date 01/09/2022
End date 31/08/2026
HyPRO
Supported by a €34.5 million grant from the GroenvermogenNL programme and €15.7 million in private funding, HyPRO provides a platform for research focused on making hydrogen production more sustainable, by advancing electrolysis technology and plasma technology. In the process, it will contribute significantly to advancing electrolysis technology. This approach will allow HyPRO to drive down the cost of green hydrogen and scale up production. Plasmalab is involved in Task 5 of the project: Industrial Residual Gas Valorisation using Plasma. From novel simulations of reactions in the plasma, to experimental breakthroughs of microwave and ARC plasma gas convertors, and novel laser-based diagnosis of the plasma chemistry, Plasmalab plays a pivotal role in this task of HyPRO project.
Start date 01/01/2025
End date 31/12/2030
Accessing ultrafast timescales to achieve a climate neutral chemical industry
As the chemical industry shifts towards electrified and circular chemical processes, methane is expected to become a major bottleneck for closing the carbon loop. It is critical that methane is valorised rather than burnt for energy to achieve zero CO2 emissions. In this project Plasmalab teams up with TDLab of Radboud University to develop ultrafast plasma pyrolysis of methane to ethylene as innovative and economically viable technology for methane valorisation. This requires fundamental insight into chemical kinetics occurring on microsecond timescales, which are resolved by combining solid state microwave generators with mid-infrared frequency combs spectroscopy.
Start date 01/03/2025
End date 28/02/2029
PRIME LEAP
Addressing climate change involves reducing emissions and energy consumption in the chemical industry. One promising avenue involves rethinking how we convert basic molecules like methane into valuable products. Methane is usually considered waste but could instead become a resource for sustainable manufacturing. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the PRIME LEAP project (Next-generation intensified chemical processes integrating plasma and single-atom catalysis) brings together academic and industrial expertise to train a new generation of scientists in this transformation. The key objective is to equip doctoral candidates with cross-disciplinary expertise to drive innovation in plasma chemistry and catalysis and enable efficient conversion of methane to useful chemicals.
Start date 01/01/2026
End date 31/12/2029
