Plasma-driven catalysis: green ammonia synthesis with intermittent electricity

Ammonia is one of the most produced chemicals, mainly synthesized from fossil fuels for fertilizer applications. Furthermore, ammonia may be one of the energy carriers of the future, when it is produced from renewable electricity. This has spurred research on alternative technologies for green ammon...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Green chemistry : an international journal and green chemistry resource : GC 2020-10, Vol.22 (19), p.6258-6287
Main Authors: Rouwenhorst, Kevin H. R, Engelmann, Yannick, van 't Veer, Kevin, Postma, Rolf S, Bogaerts, Annemie, Lefferts, Leon
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alternative technology
Ammonia
Catalysis
Catalysts
Chemical synthesis
Electricity
Energy efficiency
Fertilizer application
Fertilizers
Fossil fuels
Green chemistry
Literature reviews
Plasma
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Ammonia is one of the most produced chemicals, mainly synthesized from fossil fuels for fertilizer applications. Furthermore, ammonia may be one of the energy carriers of the future, when it is produced from renewable electricity. This has spurred research on alternative technologies for green ammonia production. Research on plasma-driven ammonia synthesis has recently gained traction in academic literature. In the current review, we summarize the literature on plasma-driven ammonia synthesis. We distinguish between mechanisms for ammonia synthesis in the presence of a plasma, with and without a catalyst, for different plasma conditions. Strategies for catalyst design are discussed, as well as the current understanding regarding the potential plasma-catalyst synergies as function of the plasma conditions and their implications on energy efficiency. Finally, we discuss the limitations in currently reported models and experiments, as an outlook for research opportunities for further unravelling the complexities of plasma-catalytic ammonia synthesis, in order to bridge the gap between the currently reported models and experimental results. Plasma-driven catalytic ammonia synthesis from renewable electricity has recently gained traction as an alternative to the Haber-Bosch process for decentralized applications. We summarize the state-of-the-art in literature and provide avenues for improvement.
ISSN:1463-9262
1463-9270
DOI:10.1039/d0gc02058c