Vidhi Patel
Research Mentor: Susan Fancy
Mentor Department: Global CO2 Initiative, Engineering
Author(s): Vidhi Patel, Stephen McCord, Daniel Cooper
Session: Session 5 (2:00 PM – 2:50 PM)
Presentation Type: Poster 46
Abstract
Freight rail transportation plays a central role in moving goods across the United States and remains a major source of carbon dioxide emissions from diesel combustion; however, most decarbonization efforts focus on storage or full system replacement rather than carbon utilization. This project investigates how carbon dioxide captured directly from freight train locomotives could potentially be used by nearby industries instead of only being stored. Freight trains represent a strong opportunity for carbon capture and utilization because they emit large volumes of carbon dioxide, can carry heavy capture equipment, and naturally transport captured carbon to potential users along existing rail networks. Yard switcher and long-haul locomotives together represent a potential capture capacity on the order of tens of millions of metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, making rail a promising near-term platform for mobile carbon capture. This research focuses specifically on evaluating plasma-based carbon capture and utilization technologies through a literature-based analysis of different plasma reactor systems. Several plasma technologies, including gliding arc, dielectric barrier discharge, radio-frequency plasma, and microwave plasma systems, were examined to compare their reported carbon dioxide conversion performance, energy efficiency, and reactor design constraints. Particular attention was given to reaction mechanisms such as vibrational excitation pathways and recombination reactions that influence overall efficiency. By analyzing experimental studies and reactor modeling work, this project evaluates which plasma approaches may be most promising for mobile or small-scale carbon conversion systems. In addition to comparing plasma reactor technologies, the project also considers practical constraints that would affect real-world deployment on freight locomotives, including energy requirements, reactor size, and integration with existing locomotive systems. By identifying the strengths and limitations of different plasma conversion pathways, this work aims to clarify whether plasma-based technologies could realistically support mobile carbon capture and utilization in the freight rail sector and help reduce emissions from heavy-duty transportation.
