Project description
Cleaner, greener production of ammonia and value-added chemicals
Ammonia (NH3) is a key fertiliser component and an emerging carbon-free, hydrogen-rich energy carrier supporting the clean energy transition. NH3 is mostly produced via the energy-intensive Haber-Bosch process, generating 1-2 % of global greenhouse gas emissions. The ERC-funded GINNY project aims to achieve proof of concept of innovative flow-cell devices for greener NH3 production. Building on the principal investigator’s ongoing starting grant investigating a lithium-mediated electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction, GINNY plans to advance this in a novel hybrid electrolyte system that is potassium-mediated, avoiding the use of lithium. It will improve the efficiency of nitrogen and high-value chemicals production, eliminate the use of critical raw materials and reduce environmental impact.
Objective
The current climate crisis, caused by greenhouse gas emissions, urgently requires sustainable chemical processes. Ammonia, a critical chemical for fertilizers as well as an emerging energy carrier, has a significant role in the transition to renewable energy due to its high hydrogen content and energy density. However, the conventional Haber-Bosch process for ammonia production is highly energy-consuming and polluting. My ongoing ERC-StG is dealing with lithium-mediated electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction (E-NRR) as a more sustainable pathway towards ammonia production, but we (as well as the overall scientific community) are facing challenges like low nitrogen solubility, poor selectivity, and dependence on critical raw materials (CRMs).
GINNY project proposal addresses a novel hybrid electrolyte system combining poly(ethylene oxide) and glycerol to boost nitrogen solubility, and the process is potassium-mediated, thus avoiding the use of lithium. Additionally, GINNY integrates an anode process for the oxidation of glycerol, a biodiesel industry by-product that urgently needs strategies to be converted into high-value chemicals, like dihydroxyacetone and glyceric acid (key intermediates for pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals).
Building on pioneering work from my ERC-StG project, as well as from our recent fundamental studies on potassium-based batteries, GINNY aims to obtain a new generation of flow-cell devices. They will boost ammonia and useful chemicals production efficiency, through a sustainable and economically viable technology featuring CRMs-free components and reduced environmental impact. Also exploiting a continuous interaction with two supporting companies, the dual-objective strategy of GINNY promises to significantly contribute to the global shift towards greener chemical processes.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy pharmaceutical drugs
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry alkali metals
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules lipids
- social sciences economics and business economics sustainable economy
- engineering and technology industrial biotechnology biomaterials biofuels
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2024-POC
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
10129 Torino
Italy
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.