Project description
Developing scalable fabrication methods for efficient green ammonia production
While the Haber-Bosch process continues to support the world’s food supply through the manufacturing of ammonia fertilisers, it is also emerging as a clean alternative for green hydrogen storage. However, it is an extremely energy-intensive process that consumes about 2 % of global energy and contributes to 1.6 % of global emissions. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the NPG membrane for H-B project aims to transform industrial ammonia production by replacing traditional, energy-intensive separation methods with highly selective, thermally stable nanoporous graphene membranes. By integrating these membranes directly into Haber-Bosch reactors, the project seeks to achieve sustainable, efficient and low-cost ammonia production.
Objective
The Haber–Bosch (H–B) process sustains global food supply through ammonia fertiliser production and is increasingly recognised as a carbon-free energy carrier. However, it operates under harsh conditions (150–300 bar, 400–500 °C), consuming ~2% of global energy and emitting 1.6% of CO2 worldwide. Reducing its energy and carbon footprint remains a major scientific and technological challenge. Integrating membranes directly into the H–B reactor offers a promising route to energy-efficient ammonia production by enabling in-situ ammonia removal, shifting the thermodynamic equilibrium towards higher conversion under milder conditions (30 bar, 350 °C). Nanoporous graphene (NPG) membranes hold great potential for this application: their atomic thickness, tunable Å-scale pores, and pore-edge functionalities allow ultrahigh permeance with strong potential for NH₃ selectivity; while graphene’s intrinsic thermal stability makes them highly promising for high-temperature separations in reactive environments. Yet, the integration of NPG membranes has been hindered by the absence of scalable fabrication of NPG membranes on thermally robust inorganic substrates, and the lack of experimental validation of NH₃ separation under realistic H–B conditions.
The project will (i) develop a scalable method for fabricating NPG membranes on robust mesoporous-SiO2 substrates; (ii) investigate the pore structure, edge functionalisation, and thermal stability of NPG membranes up to 350 °C under reactive atmospheres; and (iii) evaluate their temperature-dependent NH₃ separation performance and demonstrate the first proof-of-concept of an NPG membrane-integrated H–B reactor. Beyond its scientific impact, the fellow will gain cutting-edge expertise in materials chemistry and chemical process engineering, together with transferable skills and networks across academia and industry, consolidating her transition to independence as a future PI in sustainable membrane technologies.
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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.
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Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
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Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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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-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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1015 Lausanne
Switzerland
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