Multiphase electrolysers for renewable ammonia production

Summary

Need

This project was selected as part of the competitive Hydrogen R&D Funding Round under the Transformative Research Accelerating Commercialisation (TRAC) Program to rapidly develop the critical technologies required to build a clean, innovative, safe, and competitive hydrogen industry and position Australia as a major player globally. While hydrogen technologies and targets have continued to evolve, R&D investment remains a critical imperative to commercialise clean hydrogen. Projects supported by the Hydrogen R&D Funding Round seek to progress the commercialisation of low cost, clean hydrogen in Australia.

It is common to incorporate renewable hydrogen, produced via water electrolysis, into energy-intensive Haber-Bosch (HB) processes for the creation of renewable ammonia. This integration presents challenges due to the demanding requirements of high temperature and pressure – complicating the incorporation of intermittent renewable energy sources, limiting opportunities for decentralised, on-demand production.

To address these challenges, UNSW has developed a patented technology known as OzAmmonia, which facilitates the direct conversion of air (and water) into ammonia and has the capability to transform NOx found in waste flue gas and wastewater into ammonia, thus closing the NOx loop and unlock the zero-emissions future for fertilisers, fuels and beyond.

Action

This project aims to facilitate decentralised on-demand production of renewable ammonia, which serves as an energy carrier in the emerging hydrogen economy, by scaling the OzAmmonia technology to a commercially viable stage.

The Project will be delivered in two stages, a Core Research Stage (Stage 1), followed by a Research Commercialisation Stage (Stage 2).

The Core Research Stage will involve optimisation of various Advanced Air Oxidation systems () to enhance NOx generation from air and reduce Specific Energy Consumption (SEC) of multiphase electrolyser, exploring cost reduction for both Air-to-Ammonia and Waste-to-Ammonia systems through ongoing process optimisation and integration of scaled-up electrolyser and prototype development.

The Research Commercialisation Stage will build upon the progress in the Core Research Stage, including field testing and technology demonstration through validation of a prototype with publicly accessible performance trial result and optimisation of NOx input to electrolyser.

Outcome

The Project will achieve the following outcomes:

• Accelerated commercialisation of renewable ammonia through innovative Research and Development in hydrogen vector production technologies;
• Increased academic research capacity in the Australian hydrogen and its derivatives sector, and the facilitation of collaboration between research groups and industry;
• Improvement in the technology readiness and commercial readiness of hydrogen vector production technologies;
• Improvement in the selectivity and conversion rate of NOx feedstock to increase system efficiency.
• Increased ammonia yield rate using the multiphase electrolyser by improving the Faradaic efficiency and current density of the catalysts;
• Decreased overall system production cost of ammonia, presenting a pathway for technology to be competitive as energy carrier and fertiliser.