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Updated: Jan 16, 2026

Electrochemically and Bioelectrochemically Induced Ammonium Recovery
Published on: January 22, 2015
Effective Ammonia Production from Nitrogen and Water under Ambient Conditions through Proton-Coupled In Situ
Changjiang Hu1, Junyi Zhao1, Ruisi Chang2
1School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China.
None:
Ammonia (NH3) is a vital component for sustaining global food supplies and fuel production, but its industrial production via the Haber-Bosch process remains energetically demanding and carbon-intensive. Here, we report an electron-beam-activated NH3 synthesis strategy that utilizes only atmospheric N2 and water as feedstocks under ambient conditions. This approach achieves an industrially relevant rate of 83.6 μmol g-1 s-1 with a substantially improved energy efficiency of 0.53 MJ/mol, which surpasses most laboratory-scale technologies and is comparable to that of the Haber-Bosch process. Time-resolved operando spectroscopic experiments, combined with theoretical calculations, reveal that this distinct activation mode enables rapid N2→NH3 conversion through a proton-coupled transfer of an in situ generated energetic hydrated electron. Furthermore, techno-economic analysis and life-cycle assessment demonstrate that the operational simplicity and exceptional throughput of the present N2 fixation approach could promote nitrogen circularity in the sustainable chemical industry.
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