Cascade N₂ Reduction Process with DBD Plasma Oxidation and Electrocatalytic Reduction for Continuous Ammonia...

Due to the extremely high bond energy of N≡N (∼941 kJ/mol), the traditional Haber-Bosch process of ammonia synthesis is known as an energy-intensive and high CO₂-emission industry. In this paper, a cascade N₂ reduction process with dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma oxidation and electrocatalytic reduction as an alternative route is first proposed. N₂ is oxidized to be reactive nitrogen species (RNS) by nonthermal plasma, which would then be absorbed by KOH solution and electroreduced to NH₄⁺. It is found that the production of NO is a function of discharge length, discharge power, and gas flow rate. Afterward, the cobalt catalyst is used in the process of electrocatalytic reduction of ammonia, which shows high selectivity (Faradic efficiency (FE) above 90%) and high yield of ammonia (45.45 mg/h). Finally, the cascade plasma oxidation and electrocatalytic reduction for ammonia synthesis is performed. Also, the performance of the reaction system is evaluated. It is worth mentioning that a stable and sustainable ammonia production efficiency of 16.21 mg/h is achieved, and 22.16% of NO obtained by air activation is converted into NH₄⁺. This work provides a demonstration for further industrial application of ammonia production with DBD plasma oxidation and electrocatalytic reduction techniques.