Solar-driven processes using H2O, CO2 and N2 as feedstocks offer a pathway to produce sustainable “solar fuels” capable of replacing fossil-based energy carriers. Among these routes, nitrogen conversion into ammonia is particularly strategic.
Ammonia is produced at a scale of ~200 million metric tons per year and is essential for fertilizers sustaining global food production. It is also widely used in plastics, fibers, resins, explosives and refrigeration. Increasingly, ammonia is recognized as a carbon-free energy carrier and hydrogen vector, with applications emerging in heavy transport, power generation and distributed energy storage. However, its production still relies almost entirely on the fossil-based Haber–Bosch process, which is energy-intensive and responsible for significant CO2 emissions. A renewable alternative is therefore urgently needed.
SuN2rise addressed this challenge by developing a renewable-driven electrochemical platform for nitrogen-to-ammonia conversion under mild conditions. The core objective was to advance a lithium-mediated N2 reduction concept, enabling ammonia production in reactors powered by renewable electricity and fed by air and water. By combining lithium electrochemistry with nitrogen activation strategies, the project aimed to establish a new paradigm for decentralized, low-carbon ammonia synthesis.
In parallel, SuN2rise developed sustainable energy-harvesting technologies aligned with this vision, including aqueous solar cells and advanced polymer electrolytes, targeting integrated solar-to-ammonia systems.
In conclusion, the project contributed to redefining ammonia production from a centralized fossil-based process to a potentially distributed, renewable-powered electrochemical technology, laying the foundations for a future solar-driven ammonia economy.
