Sustainable Ammonia Synthesis for Zero-Carbon Fertilizers and Fuels

PIs: Jonas Peters and Karthish Manthiram
Co-PIs: Theodor Agapie, Harry Atwater, Julia Greer, and John Gregoire
Research Team: Sayan Banerjee, Emily Boyd, Cyrus Fiori, Anukta Jain, Channing Klein, Ethan Klein, Gangsan Lee, Catherine Romero, Ellis Spickermann, and Michael Yusov
Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and Division of Engineering and Applied Science
Sunlight to Everything Initiative

This project aims to decarbonize the production of ammonia (NH3) via new catalyst materials and mediators that combine either solar photons or renewably sourced electricity (e.g., solar and wind) with water and nitrogen. The identification of new catalysts and mediated processes through high-throughput screening along with their integration into new reactor architectures made with additive manufacturing will distinguish Caltech in its proposed research efforts. Through technoeconomic and lifecycle analyses that are tightly integrated with the proposed efforts, this project will create a pathway to sustainable ammonia synthesis that will impact not only fertilizer production but the storage of renewable energy in a chemical carrier.