Periodic Reporting for period 1 - GREENER (Electrolyte optimization for enhancing GREEN ammonia production from nitrogen ElectroReduction)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2023-12-16 al 2025-12-15
Modern society strongly depends on nitrogen-based chemicals. In particular, ammonia is essential for food production and is increasingly considered as a potential energy carrier. Today, ammonia is produced mainly through energy-intensive industrial processes that rely on fossil fuels and contribute significantly to global carbon emissions. At the same time, many water bodies are affected by high concentrations of nitrate due to agricultural and industrial activities, posing risks to ecosystems and human health. The GREENER project addressed these two challenges together by exploring electrochemical routes to produce ammonia under mild conditions using renewable electricity. Instead of focusing only on pure nitrogen gas, the project also investigated nitrogen-containing species already present in water, such as nitrate, as alternative, complementary and more accessible sources. The overall objective was to understand how the composition of the electrolyte influences the efficiency, selectivity, and stability of electrochemical ammonia production. By studying realistic electrolytes and water-related conditions, GREENER aimed to provide knowledge that supports the development of more sustainable, low-carbon ammonia production pathways and contributes to the transition towards cleaner chemical processes.
During the GREENER project, systematic experimental work was carried out to study electrochemical ammonia production under controlled and realistic conditions. The research focused on understanding how different electrolyte compositions affect the performance of the process, rather than only optimising individual materials or operating parameters. Particular attention was given to electrolytes that better reflect real water environments, including the presence of different ions and nitrogen-containing species. Electrochemical experiments were performed to evaluate how these conditions influence ammonia formation, selectivity with respect to competing reactions, and operational stability over time. The project generated comparative data that allowed the identification of key electrolyte properties governing the reaction behaviour. One of the main achievements was demonstrating that electrolyte formulation plays a central role in controlling ammonia production efficiency and robustness, especially as one moves from ideal laboratory solutions to more complex and realistic systems. Overall, the work performed in GREENER provided a clearer picture of the practical limitations and opportunities of electrochemical ammonia synthesis. These results represent an important step towards designing more reliable electrochemical processes that can operate under conditions closer to real-world applications.
Most existing research on electrochemical ammonia production is carried out in highly simplified laboratory conditions, using pure electrolytes and idealised reactants. While these studies are essential at an early stage, they often provide limited insight into how the process behaves in more realistic environments. GREENER moved beyond this conventional approach by systematically examining the role of electrolyte composition as a central factor influencing reaction performance. The project showed that electrolyte properties, such as ionic composition and the presence of nitrogen-containing species in water, strongly affect ammonia formation, selectivity, and operational stability. By addressing these aspects together, GREENER provided new understanding of why performance often decreases when moving from model systems to more complex conditions. Rather than focusing on isolated performance improvements, the project highlighted the importance of electrolyte design as a key lever for improving robustness and applicability. These results go beyond the state of the art by shifting the focus from idealised systems towards conditions that are closer to practical implementation. The knowledge generated helps bridge the gap between fundamental laboratory studies and the development of electrochemical ammonia production processes that are better suited for real-world use. The results also highlight the need for further research and validation under increasingly realistic conditions to support future development and potential scale-up of electrochemical ammonia production technologies.