Ammonia electrosynthesis from nitrate reduction: flow cell and in-situ Raman spectroscopic studies

• Grant number: 22/01799-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: July 01, 2022
• End date: June 30, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Physical-Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Raphael Nagao de Sousa
• Grantee: Gabriel Floriano Costa
• Supervisor: Nirala Singh
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Michigan, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 19/18847-6 - Ammonia electrochemical synthesis from nitrate reduction at metal oxides: an in operando investigation, BP.DD

Abstract

The nitrogen cycle was globally perturbed by the excessive use of fertilizers for food production. One of the most harmful symptoms of such disturbance is the accumulation of reactive nitrogen into the environment, especially nitrate, the nitrogen derivative most oxidized species, being a serious pollutant in groundwater, rivers, and lakes. The electrochemical nitrate reduction is a sustainable alternative to remove this species from wastewater and synthesize ammonia. It is firstly proposed the use of flow cells to enhance the performance of catalysts for nitrate reduction reaction, since they allow to maintain a constant nitrate concentration and improve the mass transport. Secondly, the catalyst stability will be evaluated through in-situ Raman spectroscopy under flow conditions. Combining the results with these techniques will provide a precious outlook of catalysts performance for nitrate electrochemical reduction reaction to ammonia synthesis. (AU)