Project plan for sustainable nitrogen-based chemistry takes shape

The parties from the knowledge field and industry have formed a consortium in response to the call for proposals issued by GroenvermogenNL in collaboration with NWO. The aim is to promote sustainable and efficient methods for the production of nitrogen-containing compounds. This is because the environmental impact and energy consumption of ammonia production in particular must be reduced.  

Consortium of more than 50 companies and institutions

In the first half of this year, more than 50 knowledge institutions, industrial and technological companies applied for the call for proposals. They form a single consortium that covers the entire value chain of nitrogen-based chemistry. They bring together their issues, needs, and expertise to develop, demonstrate, and scale up cost-effective technologies for the use of renewable hydrogen and green electrons.  

Two intensive workshops

In September, the consortium met to explore how industry, together with knowledge institutions, can make current production more sustainable and what new production routes they can develop. A second 2.5-day workshop followed at the end of October. The consortium wants to focus on the sustainable production of ammonia. This involves catalytic processes at lower temperatures and lower pressures using renewable hydrogen and renewable heat and electricity. Another method to be investigated is electrochemical synthesis of nitrogen at high and low temperatures. The consortium also wants to conduct research into the recovery of nitrogen from water, waste, and the environment for industrial applications. Another area of research is nitrogen oxidation, not powered by combustion but by electricity. 

“Good for our future”

“We are engaged in a pathway from the fundamental developments in lab scale to all the way to TRL 6 level,” says Prof. Jimmy Faria Albanese of the University of Twente and general project leader of the consortium. “These technologies will help us stay ahead of the curve. That is for the benefit of our economy and of our future.” 

Video: watch interviews with participants from the latest workshop in October. 

Planning

The consortium will submit its project plan in January. GroenvermogenNL has made a subsidy budget of €20 million available for the project. If approved, the project will start at the end of this year.