Plasma-based dry reforming of methane in a dielectric barrier discharge reactor : importance of uniform (sub)micron packings/catalysts to enhance the performance

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 Stöber 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 plasma-based reactions.