(Press-News.org) University of Sydney researchers have harnessed human-made lightning to develop a more efficient method of generating ammonia – one of the world’s most important chemicals. Ammonia is also the main ingredient of fertilisers that account for almost half of all global food production.
The team have successfully developed a more straightforward method to produce ammonia (NH3) in gas form. Previous efforts by other laboratories produced ammonia in a solution (ammonium, NH4+), which requires more energy and processes to transform it into the final gas product.
The current method to generate ammonia, the Haber-Bosch process, comes at great climate cost, leaving a huge carbon footprint. It also needs to happen on a large scale and close to sources of cheap natural gas to make it cost-effective.
The chemical process that fed the world, and the Sydney team looking to revolutionise it
Naturally occurring ammonia (mostly in the form of bird droppings), was once so high in demand it fuelled wars.
The invention of the Haber-Bosch process in the 19th century made human-made ammonia possible and revolutionised modern agriculture and industry. Currently 90 percent of global ammonia production relies on the Haber-Bosch process.
“Industry’s appetite for ammonia is only growing. For the past decade, the global scientific community, including our lab, wants to uncover a more sustainable way to produce ammonia that doesn’t rely on fossil fuels.
“Currently, generating ammonia requires centralised production and long-distance transportation of the product. We need a low-cost, decentralised and scalable ‘green ammonia’,” said lead researcher Professor PJ Cullen from the University of Sydney’s School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the Net Zero Institute. His team has been working on ‘green ammonia’ production for six years.
“In this research we’ve successfully developed a method that allows air to be converted to ammonia in its gaseous form using electricity. A huge step towards our goals.”
The research was published in AngewandteChemie International edition.
Ammonia contains three hydrogen molecules, meaning it can be used as an effective carrier and source of hydrogen as an energy source, even potentially as an effective means of storing and transporting hydrogen. Industry bodies have found they can access the hydrogen by ‘cracking’ ammonia to separate the molecules to use the hydrogen.
Ammonia is also a strong candidate for use as a carbon-free fuel due to its chemical make-up. This has caught the interest of the shipping industry which is responsible for about 3 percent of all global greenhouse gas emissions.
Cracking a chemical conundrum
Professor Cullen’s team’s new method to generate ammonia works by harnessing the power of plasma, by electrifying or exciting the air.
But the star is a membrane-based electrolyser, a seemingly non-descript silver box, where the conversion to gaseous ammonia happens.
During the Haber-Bosch process, ammonia (NH3) is made by combining nitrogen (N2) and hydrogen (H2) gases under high temperatures and pressure in the presence of catalyst (a substance that speeds up a chemical reaction).
The plasma-based method Professor Cullen’s team developed uses electricity to excite nitrogen and oxygen molecules in the air. The team then passes these excited molecules to the membrane-based electrolyser to convert the excited molecules to ammonia.
The researchers said this is a more straightforward pathway for ammonia production.
Professor Cullen said the findings signal a new phase in making green ammonia possible. The team is now working on making the method more energy efficient and competitive compared to the Haber-Bosch process.
“This new approach is a two-step process, namely combining plasma and electrolysis. We have already made the plasma component viable in terms of energy efficiency and scalability.
“To create a more complete solution to a sustainable ammonia productive, we need to push the energy efficiency of the electrolyser component,” Professor Cullen said.
-ENDS-
END
Some of the most encouraging results for reaction-enhancing catalysts come from one material in particular: tin (Sn). While Sn's overall utility as a catalyst is well-known, its underlying structure-performance relationship is poorly understood, which limits our ability to maximize its potential. To address this knowledge gap, researchers at Tohoku University's Advanced Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR) used machine learning to characterize Sn catalyst activity. The highly accurate simulations could be a game-changer that helps researchers swiftly and simply ...
Physician associates provide safe and effective care when they work under the direct supervision of doctors and care for patients who have already been diagnosed, or when they undertake procedures for which they have been highly trained, finds a rapid review published in The BMJ today.
However, the rapid review on the safety and effectiveness of physician associates found insufficient evidence to support them assessing undiagnosed patients under indirect supervision—when seeing undiagnosed patients in primary care, for example.
Patient satisfaction levels ...
The more we interact with robots, the more human we perceive them to become – according to new research from the University of East Anglia.
It may sound like a scene from Blade Runner, but psychologists have been investigating exactly what makes robot interactions feel more human.
A new paper published today reveals that playing games with robots to ‘break the ice’ can help bring out their human side.
The research team say that the implications are significant for the future of robotics.
As robots take on roles from care-giving to customer service, designing interactions that promote social engagement ...
Individual expectations about one's health can influence him/her future condition and the speed of the progression of a disease: in fact, a research conducted by researchers of psychology at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan campus, shows that, after a diagnosis of asthma, people who are optimistic about their health will have a slower progression of the disease.
The study was published in the journal Health Expectations (Wiley) and conducted by full Professor Francesco Pagnini of the Department of Psychology at the Università Cattolica and colleagues.
Professor Pagnini explains: “this study was developed in response to ...
When surgeons dissect tissue to remove a tumor or make a repair they must work cautiously, relying on electrophysical monitors and their own anatomical knowledge to avoid cutting nerves, which could complicate the patient’s recovery.
A University of New Mexico surgeon has helped develop and test a first-of-its-kind drug that binds to nerve tissue and fluoresces – emits light – enabling surgeons to better see the nerves they’re trying to work around.
A newly published study in Nature Communications ...
The latest research published in Genes & Diseases unveils groundbreaking insights into the role of the aging process and the associated factor EMP1 in the progression of resectable pancreatic cancer (PC). The study, conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chongqing Medical University, has established a prognostic model that links EMP1 expression with adverse clinical outcomes, particularly among older PC patients.
Pancreatic cancer remains a highly aggressive ...
A recent study published in Genes & Diseases reveals a novel role of XPR1 in promoting ovarian cancer growth by regulating autophagy and MHC-I expression. The research, conducted by scientists from Chongqing Medical University, identifies XPR1 as a critical factor influencing the aggressiveness of ovarian cancer through its interaction with LAMP1 and the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. These findings shed light on new therapeutic targets for ovarian cancer, a malignancy known for its poor prognosis and resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors.
The ...
CLEVELAND—Researchers at Case Western Reserve University have developed an environmentally safer type of plastic that can be used for wearable electronics, sensors and other electrical applications.
The material, a so-called ferroelectric polymer, is made without fluorine, considered a “forever” chemical that hurts the environment because compounds made with it don’t break down quickly or at all.
Although the researchers are still working to improve the material’s electric and elastic properties, the potential is vast for its flexibility of electronic uses and eco-friendly structure.
“How this material ...
Key takeaways
Researchers from Penn and Arizona State University pinpoint a lone five-particle package (a 5-plet) that could upend string theory by detecting it at the Large Hadron Collider.
“Ghost” tracks that vanish mid-flight may be the smoking gun physicists are chasing.
Early data squeeze the search window, but the next collider runs could make—or break—the case.
In physics, there are two great pillars of thought that don’t quite fit together. The Standard Model of particle physics describes all known fundamental particles and three forces: electromagnetism, ...
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Alexandra Staub, author and professor of architecture in the College of Arts and Architecture’s Stuckeman School at Penn State, examines how architects can better serve society by changing their approach to the building process in her latest book titled “Architecture and Social Sustainability: Understanding the New Paradigm.”
Published by Routledge, the book presents examples of “how we can better design for stakeholder agency, serve historically marginalized populations, and further our theoretical thinking about sustainability writ large,” according to the book’s ...