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Learn more about IEEE - Join the world's largest professional organization devoted to engineering and applied sciences and get access to this e-book plus all of IEEE Spectrum's articles, archives, PDF downloads, and other benefits. Learn more about IEEE - CREATE AN ACCOUNTSIGN IN JOIN IEEESIGN IN Close Access Thousands of Articles -- Completely Free Create an account and get exclusive content and features: Save articles, download collections, and talk to tech insiders -- all free! For full access and benefits, join IEEE as a paying member. CREATE AN ACCOUNTSIGN IN Climate TechNewsEnergyClimate Change Device Uses Wind to Create Ammonia Out of Thin Air The process requires no external power to produce the green energy fuel Alfred Poor 15 Jan 2025 2 min read Alfred Poor is the former editor of Health Tech Insider and a contributor to IEEE Spectrum. A large device, vaguely resembling a gas pump, in a manicured field with Stanford University buildings in the distance. Stanford University researchers tested their ammonia production device in different spots, including on campus. Richard Zare, Xiaowei Song et al. Lots of green energy experiments in the lab publish impressive results--but what's more impressive is when those results come from an actual on-site pilot demonstration in the real world. That's the case with new research that is able to generate ammonia out of thin air, without requiring an external power source. This technique was developed by a team of researchers from Stanford University and King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Saudi Arabia. It relies on a fine mesh coated with catalysts that combine atmospheric nitrogen with hydrogen from water vapor to create ammonia (NH[3]).[] Ammonia has long-been a key component of fertilizer for agricultural crops, but it recently has taken on increased importance as a sustainable fuel. Ammonia can be cracked to yield hydrogen for fuel cells and internal combustion engines, and which only produces water with no carbon emissions when burned. Ammonia can store much more energy in a given volume than hydrogen at a much lower cost per kilowatt hour. The shipping industry is one of the targets for such technology, and one company has already launched an ammonia-powered tugboat as a demonstration platform. Traditional methods for ammonia production require high temperatures and pressures, a process that can contribute to carbon emissions by using methane as a source material. The new research, published on 13 December in Science Advances, shows how ammonia can be created without the need for electricity or any other external energy source. The process occurs at room temperature and standard atmospheric pressure. Pulling Ammonia From Thin Air The system is based on a micromesh that is coated with catalysts. Water vapor (H[2]O) combines with atmospheric nitrogen (N[2]) to create ammonia (NH[3]) and oxygen (O[2]). The ammonia ends up in a water solution which can be enriched through the use of a zeolite filter to absorb and concentrate the ammonia. (Zeolite is commonly used to remove ammonia in wastewater treatment.) The process can be powered simply by ambient wind to pass the water vapor through the mesh. The researchers tested the device in the field in areas adjacent to either saltwater and freshwater, to find out if the different sources of humidity impacted output. While wind speed had an impact on ammonia production, it was not a significant factor when conditions ranged from 8 to 21 kilometers per hour; under those conditions the output was essentially the same. The mesh coating relies on iron oxide and Nafion, which is a fluoropolymer-copolymer material that is often used in fuel cells. Simply passing air containing water droplets (in the presence of the atmospheric nitrogen) through the mesh creates a chain of reactions that results in ammonia. Production can be accelerated by spraying a continuous supply of water droplets. The researchers tested a field unit in nine different locations in the San Francisco Bay area, obtaining different production rates based on temperature, humidity, and wind speed, demonstrating its practical application if it can be scaled economically. The system produces an ammonia solution that could be used directly as fertilizer for crops, and eliminates or reduces the need to purchase and transport traditional nitrogen fertilizers. When scaled, the system could produce commercial quantities of ammonia, suitable for use as a sustainable green energy source. According to Richard Zare, a professor of chemistry in the Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences, "this innovation could fundamentally reshape fertilizer manufacturing by providing a more sustainable, cost-effective alternative to centralized production." The water droplet technology has "the potential to revolutionize chemistry--from empowering farmers in developing countries to advancing pharmaceutical and industrial applications." From Your Site Articles * This New Breed of Generator Can Run on Almost Any Fuel > * Two Companies Plan to Fuel Cargo Ships With Ammonia > * Why the Shipping Industry Is Betting Big on Ammonia > Related Articles Around the Web * Ammonia fuel offers great benefits but demands careful action | NSF ... > ammoniagreen energyclimate techclimate change Alfred Poor Alfred Poor is a technology speaker and writer with a focus on health tech. He was the editor of "Health Tech Insider," a website that covered wearable and mobile devices for health and medical applications. He also helps tech company executives make a better impression in video meetings and online presentations. A graduate of Harvard College, he is the author or co-author of 15 books and is widely quoted in major media outlets. The Conversation (0) Two sedan prototypes covered in Mercedes branded vinyl wrap on a scenic snowy plateau. TransportationNewsEnergy More EVs Migrate to Tesla's Chargers, With Some Bumps 4h 6 min read A robotic hand with a chat box floating above its palm, set against a background of multicolor speech bubbles. AINewsConsumer Electronics Meta's New Translation AI Is Nearly a Babel Fish 15 Jan 2025 3 min read Illustration of people building a gigantic robot with "AI" on its chest, which then breaks loose and destroys the city around it. 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