Project description
Cost-efficient catalysts for ammonia synthesis
Ammonia, a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen, is mainly used to manufacture synthetic fertilisers. Traditionally, ammonia production has been carried out through the Haber–Bosch process, which, despite being effective, is expensive as it requires high temperatures. To reduce the reaction temperatures, researchers have turned to ruthenium – a transition metal that is deemed an efficient catalyst for ammonia synthesis as it operates under milder conditions than traditional iron-based catalysts. Considering the high cost of ruthenium for commercialisation, further research into the design of less costly catalysts is necessary. Funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the CATALYSTNH3SYNTHESIS project will tap into the potential of intermetallic compounds as catalysts for ammonia production, which have so far received poor attention compared to metals and alloys.
Objective
Intermetallic compounds (IMCs) exhibit unique structural features accompanied by appropriate changes in the electronic properties. IMCs with their unique magnetic and electric properties have been studied for the superconductivity, shape-memory effects, hydrogen storage capability and for topological insulator applications. However, their catalytic properties have been overlooked so far compared to metals and alloys. These electronically and geometrically tuned structures were found to be excellent catalysts for selected chemical reactions such as semi-hydrogenation of alkynes, hydrogenation of CO and CO2 and unsaturated compounds. Only few works exist on IMCs in the activation of inert molecule N2 but they appear to be promising in this direction. Activation of N2 is a significant step in the synthesis of ammonia (NH3). Even after 100 years of discovery, the same old high-energy consuming Fe based catalytic process is still operated commercially.5 The absence of significant success towards a further development of Fe based catalysts stipulates to look at alternative totally different catalysts. In this regard, Ruthenium(Ru) based catalyst supported on carbon emerged as second-generation catalysts for the ammonia synthesis at the end of 20th century.6 Considering the high cost of Ru for commercialization, further research and development towards the design of less costly catalysts is necessary. In this project, we propose to explore and evaluate nano intermetallic compounds for the activation of N2 molecule, thereby supporting the efficiency and competiveness towards ammonia synthesis. The main objective of the project is to design, optimize and explore the potentiality of novel nano Intermetallic Compound (IMC) supported catalysts for the NH3 synthesis. This project will in particular study the role of electronic and geometrical factors displayed by IMCs in the catalytic process through various characterization techniques including the in situ and operando.
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: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry transition metals
- natural sciences chemical sciences catalysis
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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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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
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.
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.
MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF
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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) H2020-MSCA-IF-2018
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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.
1348 Louvain La Neuve
Belgium
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.