But by improving on a well-known electrochemical reaction and orchestrating a 'symphony' of lithium, nitrogen and hydrogen atoms, engineers have developed a new ammonia production process that meets several green targets.
The reaction works at low temperatures, and it's also regenerative, restoring the original materials with each cycle of ammonia production. "The lithium-based approach can actually be found in any organic chemistry textbook. It's very well-known" Singh said."But making this cycle run efficiently and selectively enough to meet economically feasible targets was our contribution."
The Singh group's results are among the first to achieve levels of selectivity and energy use that could meet Department of Energy standards for industrial-scale production of ammonia. Singh also said the process, which can be performed in a modular reactor, can be made even greener by powering it with electricity from solar panels or other renewable sources and feeding the reaction with air and water.
Currently, the scientists are partnering with the General Ammonia Co. to pilot and scale up their lithium-mediated ammonia synthesis process at a plant in the Chicago area. UIC's Office of Technology Management has filed a patent for the process.
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Fuente: ScienceDaily - 🏆 452. / 53 Leer más »