A physical catalyst for the electrolysis of nitrogen to ammonia

Yang, Song; Johnson, D. W.; Peng, Rui; Hensley, Dale K.; Bonnesen, Peter V.; Liang, Liangbo; Huang, Jingsong; Yang, Fengchang; Zhang, Fei; Qiao, Rui; Baddorf, Arthur P.; Tschaplinski, Timothy J.; Engle, Nancy L.; Hatzell, Marta C.; Wu, Zili; Cullen, David A.; Meyer, Harry M.; Sumpter, Bobby G.; Rondinone, Adam J.

doi:10.1126/sciadv.1700336

Cited by 276 publications

(216 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…However, the main fertilizer, ammonia, is synthesized at high temperature/pressure using pure hydrogen, resulting in the consumption of 1–2% of annual global energy supply and 3–5% of the world's natural gas. This indicates that the fertilizer industry is a significant energy‐consuming industry in addition to being a large contributor to GHG emissions . Notably, excess ammonia gets converted to nitrous oxide, a GHG that is 300 times more harmful than carbon dioxide .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These nutrients are generally derived from grains or heterotrophic microorganisms, which also require various nutrients derived from grains. Grain culture requires many chemical fertilizers and agrochemicals, the production of which, in turn, requires a huge amount of energy; such chemicals also cause GHG emission and environmental contamination . Moreover, grain production is greatly influenced by environmental changes such as global warming and environmental contamination …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mammalian cell cultivation using nutrients extracted from microalgae

Okamoto

Haraguchi

Sawamura

et al. 2019

Biotechnology Progress

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Mammalian cells have been used in various research fields. More recently, cultured cells have been used as the cell source of “cultured meat.” Cell cultivation requires media containing nutrients, of which glucose and amino acids are the essential ones. These nutrients are generally derived from grains or heterotrophic microorganisms, which also require various nutrients derived from grains. Grain culture, in turn, requires many chemical fertilizers and agrochemicals, which can cause greenhouse gas emission and environmental contamination. Furthermore, grain production is greatly influenced by environmental changes. In contrast, microalgae efficiently synthesize various nutrients using solar energy, water, and inorganic substances, which are widely used in the energy sector. In this study, we aimed to apply nutrients extracted from microalgae in the culture media for mammalian cell cultivation. Glucose was efficiently extracted from Chlorococcum littorale or Arthrospira platensis using sulfuric acid, whereas 18 of the 20 proteinogenic amino acids were efficiently extracted from Chlorella vulgaris using hydrochloric acid. We further investigated whether nutrients present in the algal extracts could be used in mammalian cell cultivation. Although almost all C2C12 mouse myoblasts died during cultivation in a glucose‐ and amino acid‐free medium, the cell death was rescued by adding algal extract(s) into the nutrient‐deficient media. This indicates that nutrients present in algal extracts can be used for mammalian cell cultivation. This study is the first step toward the establishment of a new cell culture system that can reduce environmental loads and remain unaffected by the impact of environmental changes.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mammalian cell cultivation using nutrients extracted from microalgae

Okamoto

Haraguchi

Sawamura

et al. 2019

Biotechnology Progress

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…As mentioned earlier in this article, the addition of potassium cations can effectively inhibit the HER, and the cations of lithium and sodium have been reported to also improve the selectivity of NRR . Song and co‐workers pointed out that the choice of counterions in the aqueous electrolyte is very important, and the inhibition of the HER by Li + > Na + > K + is proven by experiments, as shown in Figure . Additionally, the formation of a dehydrated cation layer helps to allow access of the N 2 molecule to the high electric field .…”

Section: Strategy To Improve the Nrrmentioning

confidence: 71%

Recent Advances in Electrochemical Synthesis of Ammonia through Nitrogen Reduction under Ambient Conditions

Wang

Chen

et al. 2020

ChemElectroChem

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Ammonia is an important chemical raw material, widely used in industry and agriculture, as well as an important energy storage intermediate and carbon‐free energy carrier. But, its production is limited to the traditional Haber‐Bosch process. Recently, electrochemical reduction of N2 has been attracting more and more attention, owing to the lower energy consumption and because it is environmentally friendly. However, there are a lot of problems that remain to be solved, and the main challenges are the low selectivity and catalytic activity when using this process. In this Review, we first summarize the recent development of electrocatalysts for electrochemical N2 reduction and elaborate on the reaction mechanisms of the nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR). In addition, the effects of different types of electrolyte on the NRR activity and electrolyte choice are discussed. Finally, the perspectives of electrochemical nitrogen reduction for conversion to ammonia are discussed.

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“…DFT calculations revealed the preferable pathway for ammonia synthesis (*N≡N → *NH = NH → *NH 2 = NH 2 → 2NH 3 ) in an alkaline medium, and found that the NRR on pyridinic (0.45 eV) and pyrrolic N (0.56 eV) sites are energetically more favorable than the graphitic N sites . Furthermore, N‐doped carbon nanospikes (≈50‐80 nm in length) were fabricated with each nanospike made of layers of carbon ending in a ≈1 nm wide sharp tip . Such sharp tips would have markedly amplified the local electric field for efficient NH 3 fixation by tuning the molecular orbital energy levels of N 2 in 0.25 M Li 2 SO 4 electrolyte.…”

Section: Ten Years’ Advancement Of C‐mfecsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ten years of carbon‐based metal‐free electrocatalysts

et al. 2019

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Since the discovery of the first carbon-based metal-free electrocatalysts (C-MFECs, i.e., N-doped carbon nanotubes) for the oxygen reduction reaction in 2009, the field of C-MFECs has grown enormously over the last 10 years.C-MFECs, as alternatives to nonprecious transition metals and/or precious noble metal-based electrocatalysts, have been consistently demonstrated as efficient catalysts for oxygen reduction, oxygen evolution, hydrogen evolution, carbon dioxide reduction, nitrogen reduction, and many other (electro-) chemical reactions. Recent research and development of C-MFECs have indicated their potential applications in fuel cells, metal-air batteries, and hydrogen generation through water oxidation as well as electrochemical production of various commodity chemicals, such as ammonia, alcohols, hydrogen peroxide, and other useful hydrocarbons. Further research and development of C-MFECs would surely revolutionize traditional energy conversion and storage technologies with minimal environmental impact. In this short review article, we summarize the journey of C-MFECs over the past 10 years with an emphasis on materials development and their structure-property characterization for applications in fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Current challenges and future prospects of this emerging field are also discussed. K E Y W O R D Scarbon, electrocatalysis, energy conversion, energy storage, metal-free electrocatalyst

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A physical catalyst for the electrolysis of nitrogen to ammonia

Abstract: A nanostructured, carbon-based physical catalyst electrochemically reduces N2 to ammonia under ambient conditions.

Cited by 276 publications

References 55 publications

Mammalian cell cultivation using nutrients extracted from microalgae

Mammalian cell cultivation using nutrients extracted from microalgae

Recent Advances in Electrochemical Synthesis of Ammonia through Nitrogen Reduction under Ambient Conditions

Ten years of carbon‐based metal‐free electrocatalysts

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