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Updated: May 26, 2025

Ammonia Synthesis at Low Pressure
Published on: August 23, 2017
Industrial-current Ammonia Synthesis by Polarized Cuprous Cyanamide Coupled to Valorization of Glycerol at 4,000 mA
Jiacheng Jayden Wang1,2, Huong T D Bui3, Huashuai Hu4
1The State Key Laboratory of High-Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200050, China.
Abstract:
The electrocatalytic nitrate reduction (NO3RR) holds significance in both NH3 synthesis and nitrate contamination remediation. However, achieving industrial-scale current and high stability in membrane electrode assembly (MEA) electrolyzer remains challenging due to inherent high full-cell voltage for sluggish NO3RR and water oxidation. Here, Cu2NCN with positive surface electrostatic potential VS(r) is applied as highly efficient NO3RR electrocatalysts to achieve industrial-current and low-voltage stable NH3 production in MEA electrolyzer with coupled anodic glycerol oxidation. This paired electro-refinery (PER) system reaches 4000 mA cm-2 at 2.52 V and remains stable at industrial-level 1000 mA cm-2 for 100 h with the NH3 production rate of 97000 µgNH3 h-1 cm-2 and a Faradaic efficiency of 83%. Theoretical calculations elucidate that the asymmetric and electron-withdrawing [N-C≡N] units enhance polarization and VS(r), promoting robust and asymmetric adsorption of NO3 * on Cu2NCN to facilitate O-N bond dissociation. A comprehensive techno-economic analysis demonstrates the profitability and commercial viability of this coupled system. Our work opens a new avenue and marks a significant advancement in MEA systems for industrial NH3 synthesis.
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