Environmental and economic potential of decentralised electrocatalytic ammonia synthesis powered by solar energy.

ABSTRACT: Intense efforts have been devoted to developing green and blue centralised Haber-Bosch processes (gHB and bHB, respectively), but the feasibility of a decentralised and more sustainable scheme has yet to be assessed. Here we reveal the conditions under which small-scale systems (NH₃-leaves) based on the electrocatalytic reduction of nitrogen (eN₂R) powered by photovoltaic energy could realise a decentralised scheme competitive in terms of environmental and economic criteria. For this purpose, we calculated energy efficiency targets worldwide, providing clear values that may guide research in the incipient eN₂R field. Even at this germinal stage, the NH₃-leaf technology would compete favourably in sunny locations for CO₂-related Earth-s

SUBMITTER: D'Angelo SC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10411495 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature