NSF-BSF: Electrified Membrane System for Chemical-Free Ammonia Production/Separation from Nitrate Containing Wastewater

Ammonia (NH3) is indispensable to nitrogen fertilizer production and is regarded as one of the important industrial commodities. Industrial synthesis of NH; mostly relies on the energy—intensivc Haber—Bosch process, which has to break up the high NEN bond of N; for hydrogenation reactions, In contrast to N2, the nitrate anion (NO3’) has a lower dissociation energy N:O bond and is abundant in wastewater, which could provide a cheap nitrogen source for ammonia production.

Therefore, this project will embark on an innovative electrified membranes system that simultaneously achieves N03’ removal ammonia production and NH; recovery from wastewater.

The collaborative project between the US and Israel researchers will employ multifaceted approaches such as electrochemical techniques, computational chemistry, and numerical simulations to unravel the molecular—level interactions of nitrate/catalysts and ammonia/membrane interface and to delineate the dynamic mapping of reaction species on the cathodic membrane surface.

Furthermore, the realization of electrified membrane reactors will lay a foundation for the development of next—generation water treatment devices or facilities that are transformed into energy and resource recovery plants, The proposed research will tackle the challenges in upcycling of nitrate in wastewater via a unique chemical—free electrochemical membrane technology coupled with gas stripping processes.