The current industrial nitrogen fixation process requires a large fossil fuel input, high temperatures and pressures, as well as a significant capital investment. These harsh conditions and high operating costs prevent decentralized and small-scale nitrogen fixation at the level of small farms and local communities. Thus the production of nitrogen fertilizers is centralized and environmental-unfriendly. Non-thermal plasma technology represents a promising alternative as it circumvents the harsh operating conditions and high capital costs of the Haber-Bosch process. Non-thermal plasma by its nature generates reactive nitrogen species when nitrogen is discharged under electromagnetic environments. This could compensate for the effect of high temperature and pressure and reduce the activation barrier of breaking down nitrogen. Therefore, non-thermal plasma was found to have the least theoretical energy requirement among the different nitrogen fixation methods.<br/>In this research, two different ways of fixing nitrogen with non-thermal plasma are investigated. The first pathway utilizes nitrogen and hydrogen gas discharges to synthesize ammonia. Ru-based catalysts, support, and promoters are employed to enhance plasma discharge efficiency. Additionally, this process is further enhanced with absorbents to reduce the back reaction under plasma conditions that would dissociate the produced ammonia. The second pathway aims to enhance the efficiency and application potential of the non-thermal plasma nitrogen fixation process by using gas-liquid plasma to directly synthesize liquid nitrogen fertilizers and eliminating the use of hydrogen, which is one of the most costly parts in the first pathway. In this research, nitrogen plasma discharge on the water surface, as well as<i> in situ</i> plasma discharge within the liquid body using concentrated high-intensity electric field (CHIEF) are both studied. Lastly, challenges and future opportunities of the plasma-assisted nitrogen fixation approach is discussed, as well as recommendations on how this technology could be beneficial to the agricultural industry, through its potential to promote localized and on-demand fertilizer production.

Sustainable nitrogen fixation using non-thermal plasma

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

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.