High-voltage dielectric barrier discharge plasma activation for increased carbon dioxide dissolution in aqueous solution

Increased carbon dioxide (CO₂) dissolution was achieved due to successful carbon capture, mineral carbonation and climate change processes. A high-voltage dielectric barrier discharge (HVDBD) plasma reactor was utilized for the activation of CO₂ before its dissolution in distilled water and 0.1% Ca(OH)₂ solution. The effects of plasma activation (5–35 kV), CO₂ flow rate (0–60 mL/ min) and flow time (5–20 min) on CO₂ dissolution were studied by measuring pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), and the amount of CO2 dissolved. The plasma-activated CO₂ dissolution increased in both aqueous media. The pH decreased from 5.7 to 4.4 after 10 min with activated CO₂ compared with 4.4 for normal CO₂ in distilled water. The dissolved CO₂ amounts increased from 1.30 × 10−³ to 1.66 × 10−³ g/L (27.7% increase) after 10–20 min. The activated CO₂ decreased pH from 13.0 to 8.6, while normal CO₂ reduced it to 10.6 after 10 min in 0.1% Ca(OH)₂ solution. The dissolved amount of CO₂ (0.5,940,473 g/L) was attained within 10 min with activated CO₂, while normal CO₂ needed 20 min to reach a similar value (0.5941339), showing nearly two-fold quicker dissolution. The maximum amount of plasma-activated CO2 removal was with 5 kV discharge-activated gas at 40 mL/min for 10 min. These results showed that HVDBD plasma activation considerably accelerated CO₂ dissolution and carbonation, providing a promising method for effective carbon capture and utilization.