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Dielectric-Boosted Gliding Arc Discharge for N2 Fixation into NOx

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Abstract

Plasma nitrogen fixation technology is of great significance in solving the problem of nitrogen fertilizer resource shortage, saving energy and reducing carbon emission, promoting sustainable development of agriculture and promoting resource recycling. To enhance the efficiency and treatment capacity of the two-dimensional, blade-type gliding arc nitrogen fixation reaction, a dielectric-boosted gliding arc discharge reactor with a 50-mm-diameter quartz dielectric (DBGADΦ50) was used to conduct N2 fixation into NOx. The impact of reactor parameters and gas parameters on the nitrogen fixation reaction was systematically investigated in this study. The findings revealed that the DBGADΦ50 significantly improved the nitrogen fixation effect. At a specific input energy of 2.7 kJ/L, the concentration of NOx generated by the dielectric-boosted gliding arc air discharge was 1.12 times that of the conventional gliding arc discharge (GAD). By utilizing the DBGADΦ50 reactor, the energy efficiency of 6.83 g/kW h was achieved at a gas flow rate of 5.6 L/min. Appropriately increasing O2 concentration favors the production of NOx. In the DBGADΦ50, the NOx concentration was 1.33 times higher than that in the air atmosphere when the added O2 volume fraction reached 30%. Performance can be further enhanced by adding TiO2 catalyst particles to the surface of the quartz dielectric to form a catalyst layer approximately 5 mm thick. At an O2 concentration of 30%, the DBGADΦ50 reactor loaded with TiO2 increased NOx concentration by 26% and energy efficiency by 49%, respectively, resulting in an efficiency of 14.9 g/kW h compared to the case without catalyst.

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Funding

The National Nature Science Foundation of China (No. 12275042) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. DUT20JC20).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Electrical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, 116024, Dalian, People’s Republic of China

    Xiangyi Meng, Na Lu, Kefeng Shang & Nan Jiang

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  1. Xiangyi Meng
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  2. Na Lu
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  3. Kefeng Shang
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  4. Nan Jiang
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Contributions

Meng Xiangyi and Lu Na wrote the main manuscript text. The experiment in this paper was carried out with the support of Lu Na, Jiang Nan and Shang Kefeng. All authors reviewed the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Na Lu.

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Meng, X., Lu, N., Shang, K. et al. Dielectric-Boosted Gliding Arc Discharge for N2 Fixation into NOx. Plasma Chem Plasma Process (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11090-024-10474-8

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