CANMILK

Carbon Neutral Milk project (CANMILK) focuses on methane abatement in dairy production. The aim is to decompose methane in dairy barns by applying non-thermal plasma based technology. The same technology can be applied also in meat production, for example in piggeries. The novelty of the on-going project is to combine plasma technology and catalysis to develop an energy efficient method for the abatement of highly dilute methane, i.e. methane that is found in the concentrations significantly below 1 vol% in the indoor air of animal barns.

Significant scientific and techno-economic value is brought by increased understanding of the phenomenon on the plasma-catalyst interface. The activity and lifetime of the plasma-generated radicals on the catalyst surface has direct impact on the feasibility of the developed technology. The catalyst performance can be increased thermally, but any additional heating would deteriorate the energy efficiency of the process. Therefore, the understanding of the radical transfer from plasma to the catalyst would greatly improve the design of the CANMILK technology.

The addition of Instituto Superior Técnico from the University of Lisbon to the CANMILK project is applied to strengthen the scientific understanding of the studied phenomenon. In the on-going project, the topics of catalysis and plasma are individually well-covered with the current work plan. However, the remaining key question is what happens on the direct interface of plasma and catalyst? To study this topic, University of Lisbon proposes to utilize both their modelling and experimental expertise. In order to find the most techno-economically viable solution for methane abatement with plasma technology, it is key to understand the reaction mechanism, the role of plasma- activated species and the catalytic activity at this interface. IST will focus on these questions and bring a new work- package devoted to their study.

For more information visit CANMILK's website.