(188d) Electrochemical Production of Ammonia Via Designing New Catalysts and Processes

Meeting our future global energy needs in an environmentally responsible way is one of the most significant challenges in the twenty-first century. Currently, fossil fuels such as oil, gas, and coal satisfy more than 80% of the global energy demand. This results in more than 35 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emission annually. It is imperative to harvest renewable energy sources (e.g., solar, wind) to serve as a way to diversify from traditional fossil fuels for combatting the environmental challenges associated with greenhouse gases. Due to the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources, the development of a cost-effective and sustainable method of storing this vast amount of energy on an industrial scale when supply exceeds demand in the grid is an urgent need. As the cost of renewable electricity continues to decrease given the rapid progress in technology and economies of scale, there is a growing interest in fuels and chemicals electrosynthesis. This talk focuses on developing novel electrochemical systems and catalysts to use renewable electricity as an energetic driving force to convert low energy molecules (N₂) to high value-added molecules (NH₃) that can be utilized as either fuels, energy storage molecules, and/or chemicals.