An Electrochemical Haber-Bosch Process
Source abstract
Abstract
Summary Ammonia, produced via the Haber-Bosch (HB) process, is globally the leading chemical in energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. In ammonia plants, hydrogen is generated by steam-methane reforming (SMR) and water-gas shift (WGS) and, subsequently, is purified for the high-pressure ammonia synthesis. Herein, we demonstrate how these steps are integrated into a single BaZrO3-based protonic ceramic membrane reactor (PCMR), operating at atmospheric pressure. Hydrogen generation occurs on a Ni-composite electrode, while VN-Fe is the ammonia synthesis electrocatalyst. Hydrogen extraction from the reforming compartment enhances the thermodynamically limited methane conversions, whereas 5%–14% of the pumped protons are converted to ammonia. An electrochemical HB is designed by combining this PCMR with a protonic ceramic fuel cell to recover electricity and separate nitrogen from ambient air by exploiting by-product hydrogen. This process could potentially require less energy and release less carbon dioxide emissions than its conventional counterpart, holding promise for sustainable decentralized applications.
Source: openaire · Quality: candidate unverified · Source record ↗
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction · Advancements in Battery Materials · Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
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