Electrocatalysis improved for green urea production
Scientists have developed a less energy-intensive way of making a key compound in fertiliser, an advance that could lead to more sustainable agriculture.
The breakthrough has been made by a team of international scientists led by Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore). Their method produces urea, which is an essential compound of mass-produced fertilisers.
According to NTU, the Haber-Bosch process used to make urea is energy-intensive, requiring temperatures of 500oC and pressures of 200 times sea-level atmospheric pressure. The process is said to create significant CO2 emissions and contributes to approximately two per cent of global energy annually.
Seeking a more sustainable and energy-efficient method, the team found a way to greatly improve electrocatalysis, an existing alternative approach to urea production.
Using the nanomaterial indium hydroxide as a catalyst, the researchers reacted nitrate and carbon dioxide and found that the process formed urea five times more efficiently than previously reported attempts using electrocatalysis, specifically by causing the chemical reaction to take place in a ‘highly selective’ manner.
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