Liquid metal catalyses ammonia production

Ammonia is used in fertiliser and is set to have a role in clean energy as a carrier to transport hydrogen. However, the global production of ammonia consumes over two per cent of global energy and produces up to two per cent of global carbon emissions.

RMIT research fellow and study lead author, Dr Karma Zuraiqi, said their greener alternative used 20 per cent less heat and 98 per cent less pressure than the Haber-Bosch process currently used for splitting nitrogen and hydrogen into ammonia.

“Ammonia production worldwide is currently responsible for twice the emissions of Australia. If we can improve this process and make it less energy intensive, we can make a large dent in carbon emissions,” Zuraiqi, from RMIT’s School of Engineering, said in a statement. 

Results of the RMIT-led study published in Nature Catalysis show their low-energy approach to be as effective at producing ammonia as the current gold standard by relying more on effective liquid metal catalysts and less on the force of pressure.