Scientists from Stanford University and the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory are using neutron scattering to convert air into fertilizer without leaving a carbon footprint. This groundbreaking discovery has the potential to contribute to worldwide carbon-neutral goals by 2050.
During the nitrogen reduction reaction, the researchers found that cycling an electric current increases the production of ammonia. This process could allow farmers to convert nitrogen, the most abundant element in the atmosphere, into ammonia-based fertilizers without emitting carbon dioxide.
“Ammonia is crucial for food supplies worldwide,” said Sarah Blair, a former doctoral student at Stanford’s Center for Interface Science and Catalysis. Blair, who now works at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado as a postdoctoral researcher, added, “As the world population continues to grow, we need sustainable ways to produce fertilizers, especially with the intensifying effects of global warming.”
Industrial fertilizers have enabled farmers to increase food production on limited land. However, the traditional method of producing industrial ammonia, known as the Haber-Bosch process, has been responsible for nearly 2% of all carbon dioxide emissions due to its reliance on fossil fuels.
Although 2% may seem insignificant, the rate at which we are adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere exceeds the planet’s capacity to absorb it. Therefore, every effort to reduce carbon dioxide emissions is crucial. The Haber-Bosch process alone generates approximately 500 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, which would require almost all of the federal lands in the U.S. to absorb and store.
2023-12-06 19:41:03
Source from phys.org