Plasma-enabled Power-to-X: Unlocking Sustainable Synthesis of Fuels and Chemicals
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Plasma-enabled Power-to-X: Unlocking Sustainable Synthesis of Fuels and Chemicals
Wed, 06/05/2026 - 14:00 to 15:00
Location:
Speaker:
Professor Xin Tu
Affiliation:
University of Liverpool
Synopsis:
The conversion of inert molecules such as CO2, CH4, and N2 with strong chemical bonds into value-added fuels and chemicals has attracted significant attention in the context of the global transition toward net-zero carbon emissions. However, activating these stable molecules remains a major challenge due to their high thermodynamic and kinetic barriers, which demand substantial energy input under conventional thermal catalytic conditions. Non-thermal plasma (NTP) has emerged as a promising electrification technology for Power-to-X (P2X) applications, enabling the direct conversion of renewable electricity into chemical energy carriers and products under mild conditions. When coupled with heterogeneous catalysis, plasma catalysis can unlock strong synergistic effects through plasma-catalyst interactions, offering pathways to enhance molecular activation, improve selectivity, and increase overall energy efficiency. This unique combination creates new opportunities for sustainable fuel and chemical synthesis. Moreover, plasma processes are inherently dynamic, modular, and instantly switchable, making them ideally suited for decentralized and flexible fuel and chemical production powered by intermittent renewable energy. This presentation will highlight recent advances, key challenges, and emerging opportunities in plasma-enabled Power-to-X technologies, including CH4 conversion, CO2 conversion, and ammonia synthesis.
Biography:
Xin Tu received a PhD in Physics from Université de Rouen (CORIA CNRS UMR 6614, France), and a PhD in Power Engineering and Engineering Thermophysics from Zhejiang University (China) in 2007. He was a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis at KU Leuven (Belgium) and in the School of Chemistry at the University of Manchester (UK). In 2012, he was appointed as a Lecturer in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Electronics at the University of Liverpool where he is now Professor and Chair in Plasma Catalysis. His research primarily focuses on plasma chemistry and plasma catalysis for environmental remediation and the sustainable production of fuels and chemicals. He has published over 270 peer-reviewed papers (Google citation >20000; H-index 81) in leading international journals, including Nat. Rev. Mater., Nat. Rev. Clean Technol., Chem, Nat. Commun., J. Am. Chem. Soc., and Angew. Chem. He has delivered over 130 invited talks at major national and international conferences. Prof. Tu has received several prestigious awards, including recognition as a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher in 2025 and the William Crookes Prize from the European Physical Society in 2024. He served as Lead Editor of the books “Plasma Catalysis: Fundamentals and Applications” (Springer Nature, 2019) and “Low Temperature Plasma Chemical Engineering” (Elsevier 2025) and co-led the 2020 Plasma Catalysis Roadmap (J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 2020, 53, 443001).