Green Ammonia

[mspohr]

Green ammonia breakthrough a potential boon for solar-powered exports

Scientists from the University of New South Wales and the University of Sydney have made a breakthrough in the development of green ammonia. Their findings could alter the global industry with the help of solar to produce green ammonia for export to countries like Japan and Germany, instead of straight hydrogen.

 

[nwdiver]

Green ammonia breakthrough a potential boon for solar-powered exports

Scientists from the University of New South Wales and the University of Sydney have made a breakthrough in the development of green ammonia. Their findings could alter the global industry with the help of solar to produce green ammonia for export to countries like Japan and Germany, instead of straight hydrogen.

Most H2 is used for NH3 production anyway

 

[mblakele]

Looks like Japan is betting on green ammonia for energy storage, and plans to work with Malaysia's Petronas to produce it using renewable energy.

Japan's Jera to produce ammonia for power with Malaysia's Petronas

[...]

For Jera, Japan's largest power generation company, the move highlights its efforts to decarbonize its fuel as the electric power industry faces calls to reduce carbon emissions and become more eco-friendly.

Jera accounts for about 10% of the country's 's total emissions of carbon dioxide, with its thermal power plants using gas and coal as fuel. The joint venture aims to reduce its emissions to virtually zero by 2050 and plans to use ammonia as fuel for power generation, and also hydrogen in stages. By the 2040s, Jera hopes to operate power generation equipment that will only need ammonia as fuel.

Ammonia is produced by extracting hydrogen from natural gas -- a process that generates large amounts of carbon dioxide. Jera, together with Petronas, will work on producing ammonia through electricity generated from renewable energy to eliminate carbon dioxide emissions.​

The companies plan to begin a demonstration experiment within the next year in which coal and ammonia will be mixed and used as fuel at a thermal power plant in Aichi Prefecture, located in central Japan. The experiment will provide the companies with more knowledge and will support their journey to creating a power generation facility that will burn only ammonia.

[...]

Japan leads the world in efforts related to the use of ammonia as a fuel for power generation. On Monday the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said that it has set a target of introducing 3 million tons of ammonia fuel per year by 2030.

[...]​

 

[mspohr]

Looks like Japan is betting on green ammonia for energy storage, and plans to work with Malaysia's Petronas to produce it using renewable energy.

Japan's Jera to produce ammonia for power with Malaysia's Petronas

[...]

For Jera, Japan's largest power generation company, the move highlights its efforts to decarbonize its fuel as the electric power industry faces calls to reduce carbon emissions and become more eco-friendly.

Jera accounts for about 10% of the country's 's total emissions of carbon dioxide, with its thermal power plants using gas and coal as fuel. The joint venture aims to reduce its emissions to virtually zero by 2050 and plans to use ammonia as fuel for power generation, and also hydrogen in stages. By the 2040s, Jera hopes to operate power generation equipment that will only need ammonia as fuel.

Ammonia is produced by extracting hydrogen from natural gas -- a process that generates large amounts of carbon dioxide. Jera, together with Petronas, will work on producing ammonia through electricity generated from renewable energy to eliminate carbon dioxide emissions.​

The companies plan to begin a demonstration experiment within the next year in which coal and ammonia will be mixed and used as fuel at a thermal power plant in Aichi Prefecture, located in central Japan. The experiment will provide the companies with more knowledge and will support their journey to creating a power generation facility that will burn only ammonia.

[...]

Japan leads the world in efforts related to the use of ammonia as a fuel for power generation. On Monday the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said that it has set a target of introducing 3 million tons of ammonia fuel per year by 2030.

[...]​

Would be good to use this as fertilizer. Most fertilizer is made from NG.

 

[cpa]

Would be good to use this as fertilizer. Most fertilizer is made from NG.

I dunno about high nitrogen fertilizers. Yes, they allow corn and wheat growers the ability to obtain massive yields.

Many corn growers use anhydrous ammonia in their irrigation systems. Irrigation is through pivot sprinklers or piped and released into furrows. Eventually a lot of the surface runoff makes its way into creeks and other waterways that are tributaries of such notable rivers like the Mississippi and Missouri. The ammonia is converted into nitrates that wind up in the Gulf of Mexico.

The abundance of nitrates with phosphates have created a huge dead area in the Gulf as it drives out soluble O2 for the fish and other aquatic life.

Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone

Clearly if beef and pork consumption drops drastically, the demand for corn will follow suit.

 

[mspohr]

SciTechDaily: Solar-Powered Electrochemical Reaction Uses Wastewater To Make the World’s No. 2 Chemical. Solar-Powered Electrochemical Reaction Uses Wastewater To Make the World’s No. 2 Chemical

Now, the researchers have improved this concept and developed a new method that uses nitrate, one of the most common groundwater contaminants, to supply nitrogen and sunlight to electrify the reaction. The system produces nearly 100% ammonia with nearly zero hydrogen gas side reactions. The reaction needs no fossil fuels and produces no carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases, and its use of solar power yields an unprecedented solar-to-fuel efficiency, or STF, of 11%, which is 10 times better than any other state-of-the-art system to produce ammonia (about 1% STF).

“Using wastewater nitrate means we also have to remove the contaminant from surface and groundwater. Over time, this means the process may simultaneously help correct for industrial waste and runoff water and rebalance the nitrogen cycle, particularly in rural areas which may experience economic disadvantages or bear the greatest risk from high exposure to excess nitrate,” Singh said.