Mechanocatalytic Room-Temperature Synthesis of Ammonia from Its Elements Down to Atmospheric Pressure

Ammonia synthesis via the high-temperature and high-pressure Haber-Bosch process is one of the most important chemical processes in the world. In spite of numerous attempts over the last 100 years, continuous Haber-Bosch type ammonia synthesis at room-temperature had not been possible, yet. We report the development of a mechanocatalytic system operating continuously at room-temperature and at pressures down to 1 bar. With optimized experimental conditions, a cesium-promoted iron catalyst was shown to produce ammonia at concentrations of more than 0.2 vol. % for over 50 hours.

Automated summary

This study presents a new method for continuous ammonia production at room temperature and low pressure, achieving a breakthrough in the Haber-Bosch process. By optimizing experimental conditions, an efficient iron catalyst was successfully developed.