UNSW chemistry researchers get closer to cost-effective green ammonia manufacture

University of NSW Sydney researchers have developed a cost-effective way to make ammonia which could soon be used on farms, according to the university.

Building on previous research, currently used under licence by startup PlasmaLeap Technologies, the team’s method improves on the high temperatures, high pressure, and extensive infrastructure required by the dominant Haber-Bosch industrial process.

The method it aims to improve on accounts for an estimated 2 per cent of the world’s energy use.

The paper describes “a plasma bubble reactor, driven by nanosecond pulses interfacing plasma directly with water” and offering “a promising pathway” to creating green ammonia from air and water.

“Ammonia-based fertilisers are in critically short supply due to international supply chain disruptions and geopolitical issues, which impact our food security and production costs,” said Dr. Ali Jalili, lead author on the paper published in Applied Catalysis B: Environmental.

“This, together with its potential for hydrogen energy storage and transportation, makes ammonia key to Australia’s renewable energy initiatives, positioning the country among the leaders in renewable energy exports and utilisation.”

As well as fertiliser, the new technique holds promise in green ammonia for hydrogen transport, according to the statement.

Liquid ammonia is able to store hydrogen more densely than liquefied hydrogen, before being “cracked” and converted into hydrogen.

Picture: credit UNSW/Shutterstock