Ammonia is an important precursor used in the synthesis of fertilizers. The global production of ammonia is expected to increase 3-5% per year with the increasing demand for crops needed to sustain the ever-growing population. Presently, ammonia is produced using the Haber-Bosch process (H-B); an energy-intensive procedure which emits over 300 million metric tons of CO2 each year and consumes roughly 1-2% of the world's primary energy supply. As a result, energy consumption by ammonia production is the largest in the chemical industry. Much of the energy expenditure comes from the high temperatures and pressures required for the reaction to proceed. Ammonia synthesis using non-thermal plasma (NTP) offers an attractive and promising alternative to H-B as it requires only low temperatures and ambient pressure to operate, can be switched on and off instantly, and can be combined with renewable energy sources such as wind or solar power to reduce the costs for energy storage. Moreover, the combination of NTP with suitable catalysts can generate synergistic effects, which can significantly promote reactions, including the synthesis of fuel and ammonia. A special DBD reactor using water as a ground electrode has been developed for the plasma-catalytic synthesis of ammonia under ambient conditions. Compared to a more conventional reactor with metal foil as a ground electrode, a reactor equipped with a water electrode produces a milder discharge (i.e. fewer filaments and less current fluctuation), which can promote the production of ammonia whilst suppressing the reverse reaction – ammonia decomposition. Moreover, Fe, Ni and Cu metallic catalysts on Al2O3 support have been investigated for plasma-catalytic production of ammonia combined with the water electrode DBD reactor; their activities with respect to the rate of ammonia synthesis rate and energy efficiency decreases in the order: Ni/Al2O3 &gt; Cu/Al2O3 &gt; Fe/Al2O3 &gt; Al2O3 &gt; Plasma only. The highest synthesis rate recorded was 943 μmol/h at 58.9 kJ/L SEI over Ni/Al2O3. The adsorbed NHx species were detected on the spent catalysts by FTIR, and OES, ICCD were used to analyse the plasma properties.

Novel insight into the plasma-enhanced catalytic synthesis of ammonia over transition metallic catalysts

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

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