Plasma Technology: An Emerging Technology for Energy Storage

TLDR

Plasma technology is increasingly explored for gas conversion, such as CO₂ to value‑added chemicals and N₂ fixation for fertilizers, and its electrically driven, switchable nature makes it compatible with intermittent renewable power. This Perspective explains why plasma could be promising for energy‑storage related gas conversion. The authors review common plasma reactor types, their energy‑efficiency characteristics, ongoing CO₂ and N₂ conversion research, and outline key limitations and future improvement steps.

Abstract

Plasma technology is gaining increasing interest for gas conversion applications, such as CO2 conversion into value-added chemicals or renewable fuels, and N2 fixation from the air, to be used for the production of small building blocks for, e.g., mineral fertilizers. Plasma is generated by electric power and can easily be switched on/off, making it, in principle, suitable for using intermittent renewable electricity. In this Perspective article, we explain why plasma might be promising for this application. We briefly present the most common types of plasma reactors with their characteristic features, illustrating why some plasma types exhibit better energy efficiency than others. We also highlight current research in the fields of CO2 conversion (including the combined conversion of CO2 with CH4, H2O, or H2) as well as N2 fixation (for NH3 or NOx synthesis). Finally, we discuss the major limitations and steps to be taken for further improvement.