A plasma-based CO₂ conversion system produces two primary outputs: carbon monoxide (CO) and syngas (a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen). These are not waste streams or interim products; they are high-value industrial feedstocks that replace fossil-derived inputs in chemicals, fuels, and materials production. The outputs vary depending on the input gas and the conversion route selected, making plasma technology a flexible platform for CO₂ recycling across multiple industrial verticals. The sections below address the most common questions about what these outputs are, how they are produced, and where they can be used.

What can carbon monoxide from CO2 conversion be used for?

Carbon monoxide produced from CO₂ conversion is a critical industrial feedstock used in chemicals manufacturing, steelmaking, and synthetic fuels production. It serves as a direct, low-carbon replacement for fossil-derived CO, enabling industries to maintain existing production processes while eliminating reliance on conventional carbon sources. The applications span multiple heavy industry sectors and require no fundamental changes to downstream infrastructure.

In the chemicals sector, CO is a core building block for products including acetic acid, polycarbonates, and a wide range of carbonylation chemistry. These processes already consume large volumes of CO; the difference is that electrified CO production from recycled CO₂ replaces the fossil-based supply chain with one powered by renewable electricity.

In steelmaking, CO produced from blast furnace off-gases can be recycled back into the furnace as a reducing agent, partially replacing coke. This is one of the most direct circular carbon applications available to steel producers today, and it has already been validated at industrial pilot scale. The ability to close this loop on-site, without external hydrogen or additional infrastructure, makes it particularly attractive for plant operators under pressure to reduce both emissions and fossil input costs.

In synthetic fuels, CO is the carbon-carrying molecule in syngas, which is the precursor to e-methanol, synthetic diesel, and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Even as a standalone molecule, CO feeds into Fischer-Tropsch and methanol synthesis routes that are central to the e-fuels industry.

A key practical advantage is that plasma-based CO production generates CO without byproducts like carbon black, and the output integrates directly into existing gas handling and distribution infrastructure. For industrial operators, this means the transition from fossil-derived CO to recycled CO is an addition to current operations, not a replacement for them.

How is syngas produced from CO2 in a plasma system?

Syngas is produced in a plasma system by combining CO₂ with methane inside a plasma reactor, where the high-energy plasma environment drives a dry reforming reaction. The CO₂ and methane (CH₄) react to form a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, specifically CO + 2H₂, without requiring an external hydrogen supply or steam. This is the defining advantage of the CO₂-to-syngas route over conventional steam methane reforming.

The plasma reactor energizes the gas molecules to the point where chemical bonds break and reform. CO₂ supplies the oxygen and additional carbon, while the methane contributes both carbon and hydrogen. The result is a tunable syngas stream whose hydrogen-to-CO ratio can be adjusted by varying the input composition, a critical capability for downstream synthesis processes that require specific ratios, such as methanol synthesis (H₂:CO of 2:1) or Fischer-Tropsch fuels.

A particularly significant application of this route is biogas-to-syngas conversion. When biomethane from sources such as wastewater treatment or agricultural digestion is used as the methane input alongside biogenic CO₂, the resulting syngas carries a renewable carbon profile. This enables the production of green methanol and other sustainable chemicals without the need for electrolytic hydrogen, a major cost and infrastructure advantage. D-CRBN’s electrified syngas platform is designed specifically for this kind of flexible, feedstock-agnostic operation.

The plasma system also handles diluted CO₂ streams effectively, including streams containing up to 50% nitrogen, which means it can be paired with a wide range of industrial capture setups without requiring highly purified input gas. This robustness is a practical differentiator when integrating with real-world off-gas streams from steel plants, biogas facilities, or chemical production sites.

Does plasma CO2 conversion produce any byproducts?

Plasma CO₂ conversion, when properly engineered, produces no significant solid or liquid byproducts. Unlike some thermal conversion processes, it does not generate carbon black, tar, or ash. The primary outputs are gaseous, carbon monoxide, or carbon monoxide and hydrogen in the case of syngas production, and any unreacted oxygen is either separated or consumed within the process itself.

This byproduct-free profile is one of the technology’s most commercially relevant characteristics. Processes that generate carbon black or other residues require additional handling, disposal infrastructure, and regulatory compliance, all of which add cost and operational complexity. The clean output stream of plasma conversion simplifies downstream integration and reduces total system cost.

The oxygen released during CO₂ splitting is the one co-product worth noting. When CO₂ is broken into CO and O, the oxygen must go somewhere. In well-designed industrial systems, this oxygen is either vented safely, captured for use in other on-site processes, or, as demonstrated in the ArcelorMittal Gent pilot, consumed within the reactor environment to improve overall process efficiency. This makes the oxygen a manageable and potentially useful co-product rather than a waste stream.

The absence of byproducts also reflects the selectivity of the plasma conversion mechanism. By using high-energy electrical discharge to drive specific bond-breaking reactions, the process avoids the broad thermal cracking that produces unwanted side products in combustion-based or high-temperature fossil processes. The result is a cleaner, more predictable output that is easier to certify and sell as an industrial feedstock.

How do plasma CO2 outputs compare to fossil-derived feedstocks?

Carbon monoxide and syngas produced via plasma CO₂ conversion are chemically identical to their fossil-derived counterparts; they can be used in the same downstream processes, with the same equipment, at the same specifications. The difference lies entirely in their carbon footprint and supply chain characteristics, both of which favor the plasma-produced version under current and emerging regulatory conditions.

Conventional fossil-based CO production emits approximately 2.1 tonnes of CO₂-equivalent per tonne of CO produced globally (with European averages cited at around 1.2 tonnes). By contrast, plasma CO₂ conversion powered by renewable electricity and biogenic feedstocks achieves a carbon intensity of around 0.7 tonnes of CO₂-equivalent per tonne of CO, making it carbon-negative on a lifecycle basis. This difference directly translates into lower Emissions Trading System (ETS) exposure for industrial buyers, which has a quantifiable financial value that grows as carbon prices rise.

On cost competitiveness, the energy efficiency of the plasma process is the determining factor. D-CRBN’s Plasma ARC™ technology operates at approximately 1,100 kWh per tonne of CO₂ processed, roughly five times more efficient than the reverse water-gas shift reaction, which is the leading conventional alternative for electrified CO production. This efficiency gap is what makes plasma-derived CO price-competitive with fossil CO, rather than commanding a sustainability premium that the market increasingly refuses to pay.

Supply chain resilience is a further dimension of comparison. Fossil-derived CO and syngas are exposed to oil and gas price volatility and geopolitical supply risk. On-site plasma CO₂ conversion, powered by locally sourced renewable electricity, decouples feedstock cost from global commodity markets. For industrial operators with long-term offtake commitments or fixed-price contracts, this predictability has tangible strategic value.

Capital cost is also favorable. The main structural component of D-CRBN’s modular SPARC reactor is steel: no rare-earth materials, no pressure vessels, no vacuum technology. This keeps CAPEX significantly lower than competing electrified conversion technologies, with the system arriving as a containerized, plug-and-play unit that integrates into existing plant infrastructure without requiring asset write-offs.

What industries can use the outputs of a plasma CO2 system?

The outputs of a plasma CO₂ system, carbon monoxide and syngas, are usable across any industry that currently relies on these molecules as chemical feedstocks or fuel precursors. The primary industrial verticals are steel, chemicals and petrochemicals, synthetic fuels, and biogas processing. Each sector has distinct reasons to adopt plasma-derived CO or syngas, and in each case the integration pathway builds on existing infrastructure rather than replacing it.

Steel and metals

Steel producers generate large volumes of CO₂-rich off-gases from blast furnaces and direct reduction plants. Plasma conversion allows these off-gases to be captured and recycled back into CO, which re-enters the furnace as a reducing agent in place of coke. This circular carbon model reduces both fossil input costs and direct CO₂ emissions, with no requirement for green hydrogen, a significant advantage given current hydrogen infrastructure limitations. The first industrial trial of this approach took place at a major European steel plant, confirming safe operation and record-low energy consumption at scale.

Chemicals and petrochemicals

Chemical manufacturers consume CO as a feedstock in carbonylation reactions that produce acetic acid, polycarbonates, isocyanates, and other high-volume intermediates. Plasma-derived CO is chemically identical to fossil-sourced CO and slots directly into these processes. For petrochemical operators, syngas from plasma conversion also opens pathways to olefins and other downstream products via established synthesis routes, while reducing dependence on fossil-based steam reforming. Electrifying feedstock production in this sector is increasingly relevant as ETS costs rise and low-carbon supply chain requirements tighten.

Synthetic fuels and e-fuels

Syngas is the entry point for producing e-methanol, synthetic diesel, and SAF. Plasma CO₂ conversion, particularly the biogas-to-syngas route, provides a renewable carbon source for these fuels without requiring electrolytic hydrogen. For e-fuel producers operating under strict lifecycle carbon accounting, the biogenic origin of both the CO₂ and the methane input creates a verifiable green carbon chain from feedstock to fuel.

Biogas and wastewater treatment

Operators of biogas plants and wastewater treatment facilities sit at an interesting intersection: they produce both biomethane and biogenic CO₂ as natural outputs of anaerobic digestion. Plasma conversion allows these operators to combine both streams into green syngas on-site, creating a new revenue stream from what was previously a waste gas. This value chain, from sludge to syngas to green methanol, is already being piloted, demonstrating the commercial viability of the model.

Across all of these sectors, the modular design of plasma CO₂ systems means deployment can be scaled to match site-specific production volumes, from distributed smaller installations to large industrial hubs producing above 100,000 tonnes of CO per year. For decision-makers evaluating Carbon Capture and Utilization options, the combination of chemical output quality, competitive economics, and flexible deployment makes plasma-based CO₂ recycling one of the most actionable CCU pathways currently available. Speak with D-CRBN’s industrial team to assess the right configuration for your site and feedstock profile.

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