Plasma reactor produces fuel of the future without CO₂ emissions
The Haber-Bosch process is irreplaceable for industrial agriculture, as it makes large-scale synthesis of ammonia possible. Under extreme pressure and temperatures of around 500°C, it produces ammonia from nitrogen, the main component of air. It also produces hydrogen, typically from fossil sources.
Approximately 1% of the world's energy consumption can be attributed to this process. Its share of global CO₂ emissions is even higher than that. Up to this point, the negative environmental impact of agriculture that depends on synthetic nitrogen fertilizer has not even been mentioned.
It’s time to reconsider this process which was developed over 100 years ago, as ammonia plays an integral role in more than just food production. After all, the molecule consisting of one nitrogen and three hydrogen atoms can also be produced naturally.
Light splits bound nitrogen in the atmosphere. After that, rain carries nitrogen oxides to the earth's surface and into the soil. That’s where bacteria and fungi convert them into ammonia with the help of water. It then acts as a natural plant fertilizer, which briefly describes organic farming.
Independent and free of CO₂
A plasma reactor that has been developed at the University of Buffalo, New York, now imitates this exact process. It uses electricity from solar cells to heat up the air to a plasma. A catalyst made of copper and palladium causes various nitrogen oxides to react with water and to form ammonia.
At room temperature, this tiny test setup currently produces 1 gram of ammonia per day, directly from the air and without any CO₂ emissions. Researchers are already working on a bigger-scale plasma reactor, which could provide local and sustainable nitrogen fertilizer, especially in regions where conventional industrial production has not been possible.
In addition, ammonia is also considered to be easier to store and process than hydrogen. It also has a significantly higher energy density per liter. Corresponding fuel cells have existed for many years and large-scale industrial storage systems have also been tested for a long time, even though they are not entirely safe. However, the same could be said of hydrogen, oil, and natural gas.
