Non-Thermal Plasma Recovery of Hydrogen from Sabatier Waste Methane

Hydrogen recovery from various waste streams within constrained life support systems such as that aboard the International Space Station is of particular interest for improved overall mass utilization. Using non-thermal plasma in combination with a metal catalyst, recoverable hydrogen was generated from a methane-carbon dioxide gas stream similar to that discharged from a Sabatier methanation reactor. Improved methane conversion and hydrogen recovery was demonstrated by testing a variety of reactor and catalyst configurations. An overall understanding of the basic plasma-catalyst interaction will facilitate further development geared towards implementation of the non-thermal plasma hydrogen reclamation system with the rest of the cabin atmosphere revitalization systems for oxygen and water recovery.