Advanced cold plasma-assisted technology for green and sustainable ammonia synthesis
Deepak Panchal, Qiuyun Lu, Ken Sakaushi, Xuehua Zhang
Abstract
Ammonia (NH 3 ) is the most crucial industrial chemical feedstock for producing fertilizers and is a promising future hydrogen carrier. Recent research has spurred for the development of alternative green and sustainable ammonia production technologies. Cold plasma technology provides a clean, sustainable method for nitrogen (N 2 ) conversion into active species for ammonia synthesis. Synergistic action of cold plasma and catalyst has significantly improved the current production rate and selectivity. Present energy consumption (2.1 MJ mol N −1 ) for N 2 fixation via plasma-assisted technology is still higher than the commercial process (0.7 MJ mol N −1 ), while a further improvement would be game-changing. In this review, we explain the takeover by plasma-assisted technology and its potential for green and sustainable ammonia production. We briefly present that the major challenge in nitrogen fixation of N 2 to NO x as an intermediate pathway, can be addressed by plasma technology via NO x transformation into targeted NH 3 product. We discussed the emerging plasma and catalysis synergism, mechanisms involved and highlighted current research development in selective ammonia generation. Finally, we outlined the ways to achieve cleaner and sustainable ammonia production and challenges in future work. • Cold plasma technology enables clean and sustainable approach to ammonia synthesis. • Synergy of plasma technology and catalytic reactions realized nitrogen fixation. • Energy-efficient and selective NH 3 synthesis require interdisciplinary research. • Advanced cold plasma technology may provide green NH 3 supply with net-zero economy.