Utilization of Reactive Nitrogen Compounds for Nitrogen Circular Economy

Abstract

Nitrogen oxides (NOx) should be purified according to environmental regulations, being restricted increasingly year by year. A wide variety of denitration technologies, such as selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NOx to nitrogen (N2) and NOx storage reduction (NSR) to N2 by injecting reducing agents like ammonia (NH3), has so far been developed practically. Sophisticated catalytic approaches are perhaps mandatory for the sustainability in energy including complete purification of NOx. As one of the solutions to overcome problems for environment and resource simultaneously, this concept article focuses on the utilization of reactive nitrogen (Nr) compounds, mainly NOx, for encouraging an opening to consider nitrogen circular economy. For the recycling of NOx via NH3, a challenging but rational catalytic technology can be proposed by an alternate switching the inlet gas between NOx containing oxidative gas and H2 containing reductive one without an operation to change the reaction temperature. Considering the reactivity of NOx higher than that of N2, this kind of NOx to NH3 (NTA) process is promising for synthesizing NH3, being valuable not only as fertilizer but also as fuel in near future.