Scaling up plasma technology for decarbonization of the chemical industry

Electrification of the chemical industry is seen as an important approach to reduce carbon emissions. Among electrification technologies, plasma shows potential as it directly heats the process gas, operates at extremely high peak process temperatures (10,000–20,000 K), has start-up times of the order of seconds, has rapid electronic control response times and has an independence on critical materials. In this Review, we assess the challenges of scaling up plasma technology and its potential for replacing legacy chemical processes. Although thermal arc technology is ready for scale-up owing to its historical use in industrial cracking of hydrocarbons, key remaining challenges include high temperatures and gradients, short reaction times and electrode erosion. These challenges underscore the importance of controlling temperature–time trajectories and applying quench. Non-thermal plasmas are not as close to industrial deployment but potentially offer advantages owing to their non-equilibrium kinetic nature, particularly when combined with a catalyst. Reducing the high electricity demand by increasing efficiency remains a challenge. For both plasma types, integration with existing infrastructure becomes essential in process retrofits, particularly through effective heat recovery and thermal management. Plasma technology becomes cost-competitive if early commercialization efforts succeed in lowering production costs across applications and scales.