Electrocatalytic Generation of Ammonia from Air and Water. The aim is to directly convert nitrogen under mild conditions, using renewable power, to form ammonia for fertilisers and fuels, enabled by new, nanostructured, electrocatalysts based on single-sheet and composite materials. Unlike nitrogen fixation using a three-electrode system, the project will use a novel mixed gas- and liquid-phase electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction two-electrode reactor. Based on fuel cells, it is designed to acce ....Electrocatalytic Generation of Ammonia from Air and Water. The aim is to directly convert nitrogen under mild conditions, using renewable power, to form ammonia for fertilisers and fuels, enabled by new, nanostructured, electrocatalysts based on single-sheet and composite materials. Unlike nitrogen fixation using a three-electrode system, the project will use a novel mixed gas- and liquid-phase electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction two-electrode reactor. Based on fuel cells, it is designed to accelerate the naturally sluggish nitrogen reduction reaction, NRR, significantly improving the reaction rate and selectivity. The project will also gain atomic-level understanding of the mechanism of NRR, based on in-situ spectroscopies used under operando conditions, e.g., Raman or X-ray absorption.Read moreRead less
High productivity of hybrid plasma electrocatalytic fertiliser production. Non-thermal plasma-driven electrocatalytic production of nitrogen fertilisers. The project aims to develop scalable technology for ambient production of fertilisers using renewable energy, air, water, and captured CO2. This project is anticipated to generate new knowledge in plasma catalysis and electrochemical coupling through designing and fine-tuning catalyst-loaded 3D scaffolds. Expected outcomes of this project inclu ....High productivity of hybrid plasma electrocatalytic fertiliser production. Non-thermal plasma-driven electrocatalytic production of nitrogen fertilisers. The project aims to develop scalable technology for ambient production of fertilisers using renewable energy, air, water, and captured CO2. This project is anticipated to generate new knowledge in plasma catalysis and electrochemical coupling through designing and fine-tuning catalyst-loaded 3D scaffolds. Expected outcomes of this project include increasing the capacity to adopt low-cost and decentralised methods for renewable energy utilisation. This should provide substantial technological capacity that can be applied to other sectors of Australia's developing hydrogen economy and expand the use of renewable energy Power-to-X for zero-emissions energy vectors.Read moreRead less
Plasma driven electrochemical synthesis of urea. Urea is the most used nitrogen fertilizer in the world, with more urea manufactured by mass than any other organic chemical. However, the world is experiencing a major shortage of the compound, impacting our food costs and security along with dependent products such as AdBlue (diesel exhaust fluid). Commercial urea production relies on a complex reaction between ammonia and carbon dioxide at high temperatures, which consumes more than 2% of the w ....Plasma driven electrochemical synthesis of urea. Urea is the most used nitrogen fertilizer in the world, with more urea manufactured by mass than any other organic chemical. However, the world is experiencing a major shortage of the compound, impacting our food costs and security along with dependent products such as AdBlue (diesel exhaust fluid). Commercial urea production relies on a complex reaction between ammonia and carbon dioxide at high temperatures, which consumes more than 2% of the world’s energy. This project aims to produce more sustainable urea driven by electricity and using air and captured CO2, through the use of a plasma-driven electrochemical technology, providing farmers with a low-cost fertilizer under a decentralized and secure supply. Read moreRead less
High-productivity ammonia electrosynthesis. The aim of this project is to develop and demonstrate high-performance devices for ammonia production from renewables by a scalable electrolysis method. This will be achieved by experimental and modelling investigations of the nitrogen reduction reaction to guide the design of tailor-made cathodes. New knowledge in catalysis and materials science is expected to be generated. The target outcome of the project is a sustainable and affordable ammonia synt ....High-productivity ammonia electrosynthesis. The aim of this project is to develop and demonstrate high-performance devices for ammonia production from renewables by a scalable electrolysis method. This will be achieved by experimental and modelling investigations of the nitrogen reduction reaction to guide the design of tailor-made cathodes. New knowledge in catalysis and materials science is expected to be generated. The target outcome of the project is a sustainable and affordable ammonia synthesis method as an alternative to the current fossil-fuels-based and excessively greenhouse-emitting process. The technology to be developed in this project is anticipated to be of significant benefit to the Australian agriculture sector as a local, on-demand source of low-cost fertilisers.Read moreRead less
New dimensions of electrocatalyst design for sustainable energy future. This project aims to produce valuable chemicals from air, water and Australia’s abundant renewable energy, by developing efficient, robust catalysts for water oxidation, nitrogen reduction and ammonia oxidation — key processes for sustainable production of green fuels and fertilisers. The interdisciplinary project strategy will use a suite of advanced instrumental and theoretical tools to understand and control how catalysts ....New dimensions of electrocatalyst design for sustainable energy future. This project aims to produce valuable chemicals from air, water and Australia’s abundant renewable energy, by developing efficient, robust catalysts for water oxidation, nitrogen reduction and ammonia oxidation — key processes for sustainable production of green fuels and fertilisers. The interdisciplinary project strategy will use a suite of advanced instrumental and theoretical tools to understand and control how catalysts operate. Expected outcomes include new techniques to study catalysts, new catalyst design concepts, and novel high-performance catalytic materials and devices for sustainable electrosynthesis. These new technologies should reduce emissions and help Australia be a world leader in renewable-energy and fertiliser export.Read moreRead less
Early Career Industry Fellowships - Grant ID: IE230100449
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$453,000.00
Summary
High-performance ammonia electrosynthesis devices. The project aims to develop a robust process for electrosynthesis of ammonia using devices manufactured by Melbourne company Jupiter Ionics P/L and innovative electrolyte components. Towards this aim, tailored ion-shuttling compounds need to be designed and investigated to enable continuous generation of ammonia in scaled-up flow devices. This is expected to generate new knowledge in practical electrochemistry, catalysis and sustainable synthesi ....High-performance ammonia electrosynthesis devices. The project aims to develop a robust process for electrosynthesis of ammonia using devices manufactured by Melbourne company Jupiter Ionics P/L and innovative electrolyte components. Towards this aim, tailored ion-shuttling compounds need to be designed and investigated to enable continuous generation of ammonia in scaled-up flow devices. This is expected to generate new knowledge in practical electrochemistry, catalysis and sustainable synthesis. Key project outcome is a technology for production of ammonia from renewables that is pollution-free and highly scalable in contrast to the current process. Resulting benefit to Australian agriculture businesses is a method for distributed fertiliser generation without the use of fossil fuels.Read moreRead less