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Review on electrocatalytic nitrate reduction to ammonia: advances, challenges and future prospects

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Abstract

Ammonia (NH3), an indispensable component of the fertiliser industry, plays an important role in human life. Owing to negative environmental impacts and the high energy input of the industrial Haber-Bosch process, uncovering alternative sustainable technologies for NH3 production is crucial. Anthropogenic activities leading to an imbalance in the nitrogen cycle have resulted in excessive nitrate (NO3−) pollution. Electrochemical conversion of NO3− pollutant into value-added NH3 is a recent trend in wastewater management. Additionally, this method provides an added leverage of circumventing the need for highly inert nitrogen gas as a precursor in electrochemical NH3 synthesis. Therefore, the electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction (eNO3− RR) with a higher production rate and faradaic efficiency could be an appealing route for wastewater treatment and sustainable NH3 production. In this review article, an effort is made to provide an overview of the mechanisms involved, recent developments made on various electrocatalysts and also on NH3 quantification methods in eNO3− RR. Finally, this review article emphasises existing challenges and future outlooks in this field of research. This review article promotes ongoing research endeavours in the efficient conversion of NO3− into NH3.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the M. S. Ramaiah Institute of Technology, Bengaluru 560054, Karnataka, India, under the SEED money project: MSRIT/Admin/1575/23-24.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, M. S. Ramaiah Institute of Technology, MSR Nagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka, 560054, India

    C. R. Santhosh, Sampath Chinnam & Nagaraju Kottam

  2. Department of Chemical Engineering, M. S. Ramaiah Institute of Technology, MSR Nagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka, 560054, India

    G. M. Madhu

  3. Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, Qassim University, Buraydah, 52571, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

    Sridevi Chigurupati

  4. Department of Biotechnology, Saveetha College of Engineering, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Saveetha Nagar, Thandalam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 602105, India

    Sridevi Chigurupati

  5. School of Chemical and Materials Science, Indian Institute of Technology Goa, Farmagudi, Ponda, Goa, 403401, India

    Ravi Sankannavar

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Contributions

C.R.S. and S.C.1 wrote the main manuscript text including figures and table. G.M.M. and N.K. reviewed and improved the manuscript. S.C.2 and R.S. reviewed, improved and contributed to the review. All authors have read and approved the manuscript. S.C.1 is Sampath Chinnam. S.C.2 is Sridevi Chigurupati.

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Correspondence to Sampath Chinnam.

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Santhosh, C.R., Chinnam, S., Madhu, G.M. et al. Review on electrocatalytic nitrate reduction to ammonia: advances, challenges and future prospects. Ionics (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11581-024-05578-2

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