Renewable ammonia for sustainable energy and agriculture: vision and systems engineering opportunities

Palys, Matthew J.; Wang, Hanchu; Zhang, Qi; Daoutidis, Prodromos

doi:10.1016/j.coche.2020.100667

Renewable ammonia for sustainable energy and agriculture: vision and systems engineering opportunities

Journal Article · Wed Jan 06 00:00:00 EST 2021 · Current Opinion in Chemical Engineering

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coche.2020.100667· OSTI ID:1779772

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Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States); University of Minnesota
Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States)

Synthetic ammonia is essential for agriculture, but its production at present is unsustainable. Ammonia synthesized with hydrogen from renewable-powered electrolysis and nitrogen separated from air has the potential to alleviate these sustainability concerns while also having promise as a low-cost storage medium for intermittent renewable energy. This paper reviews recent research and development on the topic of renewable ammonia production and utilization as fertilizer and as energy storage. We describe our vision for synergistically combining these renewable ammonia applications to improve sustainability. Furthermore, we outline opportunities for systems engineering to play a crucial role in advancing the adoption of renewable ammonia in a manner which is sustainable, economically competitive, and reliable.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E)

Grant/Contract Number:: AR0000804

OSTI ID:: 1779772

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1779564

Journal Information:: Current Opinion in Chemical Engineering, Journal Name: Current Opinion in Chemical Engineering Vol. 31; ISSN 2211-3398

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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