Carbon-Negative Ammonia Production from the Air

Abstract

Ammonia holds paramount importance as a fundamental chemical commodity for large-scale production of fertilisers and hydrogen carriers. The conventional Haber–Bosch process relies heavily on fossil fuels, making ammonia synthesis a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Here, we show a carbon-negative ammonia synthesis process that not only produces ammonia from the air but also directly captures the atmospheric CO2 (DAC). This process uses lithium as a mediator to cleave the nitrogen gas via a nitridation reaction at ambient pressure below 80 °C. Exposing the nitride to moisture naturally yields ammonia. The co-produced lithium hydroxide intermediate allows for spontaneous abs..