Efficient Ammonia Production
Critical Need:
Fertilizer manufacturers commonly employ the Haber-Bosch (HB) technique to produce ammonia (NH3) to be used as a fertiziler for agriculture – a process that consumes 1-2% of global energy. The HB process involves first separating nitrogen (N2) from air, then breaking the very stable nitrogen-nitrogen bond, and finally combining these atoms with hydrogen to form NH3. Moreover, ammonia production requires huge capital investments for reactors operating at high pressure and temperature, base-load power to keep the process running continuously, and distribution infrastructure to ship the resulting chemicals around the world to agricultural fields. Ammonia can also be used as a fuel in fuel cells or internal combustion engines for both stationary and transportation applications. Small-scale reactors could enable distributed ammonia production closer to the consumer and be more compatible with energy inputs from intermittent renewable energy resources – improvements that could dramatically reduce the energy and carbon intensity of ammonia production and distribution.
Project Innovation + Advantages:
The team led by the University of New Mexico will develop a modular electrochemical process for a power-to-fuel system that can synthesize ammonia directly from nitrogen and water. The proposed synthesis approach will combine chemical and electrochemical steps to facilitate the high-energy step of breaking the nitrogen-nitrogen bond, with projected conversion efficiencies above 70%. By operating at lower temperature and pressure and reducing the air-separation requirement, this technology reduces overall system complexity, thus potentially enabling smaller-scale production at equal or lower costs. Furthermore, the smaller-scale process does not need consistent, baseload power to operate and therefore could be compatible with intermittent renewable energy sources, placing it on a path to be carbon-neutral.
Potential Impact:
If successful, the proposed technology could enable distributed ammonia production for alternative fuels and agricultural use, decrease energy input by more than 20%, and substantially simplify the process.
Security:
Over half of U.S. ammonia is currently imported. The proposed method enables domestic and distributed ammonia production to limit supply vulnerabilities.
Environment:
The team’s innovations could enable small-sale ammonia reactors that operate using intermittent renewable energy sources, thus making a zero-carbon fuel and fertilizer thereby reducing our carbon footprint.
Economy:
Low-cost production of ammonia could benefit stationary and transportation energy sectors as a lower cost alternative to batteries for long-term energy storage.
Contact
ARPA-E Program Director:
Dr. Grigorii Soloveichik
Project Contact:
Fernando Garzon
Press and General Inquiries Email:
ARPA-E-Comms@hq.doe.gov
Project Contact Email:
garzon@unm.edu
Partners
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Related Projects
Release Date:
11/23/2015