Plasma is a partly or fully ionized gas, which consists of electrons, ions and neutral particles, such as radicals and excited species, but it is electrically quasi-neutral. Plasma is often termed the fourth state of matter owing to its unique properties, unlike solid, liquid and gas, and it can be easily generated by an electric discharge.
In recent years, we are studying plasma treatment of biomass as a candidate for the conversion technology. In glow discharge plasma, we found that cellulose is decomposed into gaseous products such as carbon monoxide and hydrogen even at low temperature where pyrolysis does not occur.
Glow discharge plasma
Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma
In-liquid plasma