CO$_{\mathrm{2}}$ remediation using high power electron beams.

To mitigate increasing CO$_{\mathrm{2}}$ concentrations in the atmosphere and alleviate global warming, we investigated a method of CO$_{\mathrm{2}}$ reduction using high-power electron beams. A series of experiments were conducted in which the reduction of CO$_{\mathrm{2}}$ is measured for different gas compositions and power deposition rates [1]. Electron beam irradiation of gas containing 90{\%} CO$_{\mathrm{2}}$ and 10{\%} CH$_{\mathrm{4}}$ at beam energy density deposition of 4.2 J/cm$^{\mathrm{3}}$, reduced the CO$_{\mathrm{2}}$ concentration to 78{\%}. Analogous experiments with a gas mixture containing 11.5{\%} CO$_{\mathrm{2}}$, 11.5{\%} CH$_{\mathrm{4}}$ and balance of Ar, reduced the CO$_{\mathrm{2}}$ concentration to below 11{\%} with energy deposition 0.71 J/cm$^{\mathrm{3}}$. An electron beam deposition model computed the energy cost for breaking a CO$_{\mathrm{2}}$ molecule in flue gas (82{\%} N$_{\mathrm{2}}$, 6{\%} O$_{\mathrm{2}}$ and 12{\%} CO$_{\mathrm{2}})$ to be 85 eV per molecule [1]. Other techniques to enhance the removal of CO$_{\mathrm{2}}$ with pulsed electron beams are also explored, yielding new possible avenues of research. [1] G. M. Petrov, J. P. Apruzese, Tz. B. Petrova, and M. F. Wolford, J. Appl. Phys. \textbf{119}, 103303 (2016).