Decentralized and flexible ammonia synthesis

The synthesis of ammonia is of enormous economic importance. Modern agriculture, for example, would be inconceivable without ammonia-based fertilizers. In order to convert ammonia synthesis to a completely renewable and at the same time economically attractive mode of operation in the course of the global energy and raw materials shift, the electricity required for process energy, nitrogen supply and water electrolysis must be obtained from renewable energy sources in a cost-efficient manner. Plasma technology in particular offers the potential to reduce the energy required for ammonia synthesis.

 The work on "green" ammonia synthesis in AmmonVektor focuses on the development of technologies and catalysts for the decentralized, energy-efficient production of ammonia. Specifically, a low-pressure Haber-Bosch process and plasma-assisted ammonia synthesis using gliding arc and microwave plasma reactors are being developed. Both gliding arc technology and microwave plasma synthesis are promising approaches that have not yet been used for the industrial production of ammonia. To this end, demonstrators are being set up, operated and validated in terms of their robustness and stability in sub-project 1. In the low-pressure Haber-Bosch process, the R&D focus is on new catalytic materials that allow economical operation at pressures below 100 bar. The overarching goal of sub-project 1 is to develop processes that specifically enable the operation of smaller decentralized plants for load-flexible and demand-oriented ammonia synthesis.

Fraunhofer ICT | Fraunhofer IGB BioCat | Fraunhofer UMSICHT