Sustainable Synthesis of Ammonium Nitrate From Air and Water via Tandem Plasma‐Electrolyzer System
ABSTRACT Ammonium nitrate (NH 4 NO 3 ) is an indispensable high‐nitrogen fertilizer, yet its conventional industrial production via the energy‐intensive Haber–Bosch and Ostwald processes accounts for a significant global carbon footprint. Herein, we report an alternative method for directly synthesizing NH 4 NO 3 from air and water by integrating plasma‐assisted nitrogen oxidation (pNOR) with paired electrocatalytic nitrite reduction and oxidation (eNO 2 – RR/eNO 2 – OR) in a neutral medium (0.5 M phosphate buffer solution). Key to this technology is the rational design of a Co 3wt% Cu@C cathode catalyst for the critical eNO 2 – RR step, which operates via a dual‐active‐site mechanism: Cu sites adsorb and activate NO 2 – , while adjacent Co sites efficiently dissociate water to generate reactive hydrogen species (*H). Subsequent hydrogen spillover from Co to Cu sites dramatically accelerates NO 2 – hydrogenation to NH 4 + , achieving almost 100% Faradaic efficiency toward NH 3 and a high NH 4 + yield rate of 512 µmol cm −2 h −1 at a low potential of –0.5 V vs. RHE. The integrated pNOR‐eNO 2 – RR/eNO 2 – OR system operates stably over 210 h (affording 8.5 mmol h −1 NH 4 NO 3 ) with significant techno‐economic advantages. Further, the obtained NH 4 NO 3 solutions can serve as N‐P‐K fertilizer for plant growth, offering a route to on‐demand, on‐site fertilizer synthesis from air and water for smart agriculture.
Authors
- Hao Niu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8327-8766)
- G A Waterhouse
- Qiuhong Sun
- Xiao‐Jue Bai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8749-7587)
- Yufei Zhao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5325-8991)
- Zhiyong Tang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0610-0064)
- Yang Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3118-7467)
- Yao Xue
- Wenjing Dong
Institutions
- University of Auckland (NZ)
- Quzhou University (CN)
- National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (CN)
- Beijing University of Chemical Technology (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Angewandte Chemie International Edition
- Published
- 2026-06-13
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.3006166
- Primary Topic
- Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00