【Frontiers of HaiChuan Chemical Technology】Dare to dream, dare to act! Australian researchers synthesize ammonia using artificial lightning!

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Recently, researchers at the University of Sydney in Australia have developed a more efficient method for ammonia synthesis using artificial lightning. The current method for producing ammonia, the Haber-Bosch process, is costly and results in a large carbon footprint. Furthermore, to improve cost-effectiveness, this method requires large-scale production and proximity to sources of cheap natural gas. Professor PJ Cullen, lead researcher at the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the Net Zero Institute at the University of Sydney, said that industry’s demand for ammonia is growing. He said, “Over the past decade, the global scientific community, including our laboratory, has been seeking a more sustainable method of ammonia production that does not rely on fossil fuels.” ” Currently, the production of ammonia requires centralized manufacturing and long-distance transportation. We need low-cost, decentralized, and scalable green ammonia. This research is the result of six years of work. He said, “In this study, we successfully developed a method to convert air into gaseous ammonia using electricity.” ” The new method for producing ammonia developed by Professor Cullen’s team utilizes the energy of plasma, achieved by electrifying or exciting the air. This production device is a membrane-based electrolyzer. In the Haber-Bosch process, nitrogen and hydrogen combine to form ammonia under high temperature and pressure in the presence of a catalyst. The plasma-based method developed by Professor Karen’s team uses an electric current to excite nitrogen and oxygen molecules in the air. Then, the team fed these molecules into a membrane-based electrolyzer to convert them into ammonia. Professor Kallen said that this discovery marks a new phase in the production of green ammonia. His team is currently working to make this method more energy-efficient and competitive compared to the Haber-Bosch process. “This new method consists of two steps, namely the combination of plasma and electrolysis. “We have already made the plasma part viable in terms of energy efficiency and scalability,” he said. “To create a more comprehensive sustainable ammonia production solution, we need to improve the energy efficiency of electrolyzer components. ”