Electrochemical valorization of dilute reactive nitrogen compounds into ammonia: advances in catalysis and reactive separations

Abstract

The global demand for sustainable nitrogen management has brought attention to the challenge of efficiently converting dilute nitrogen compounds, such as nitrates and nitrogen oxides, into valuable ammonia. This review emphasizes on innovative catalyst designs, including homogeneous and heterogenous catalysts tailored to low-concentration reactive nitrogen species. Moreover it explores the integration of advanced separation and concentration techniques, such as electrosorption and dialysis, to overcome mass transport limitations and enable effective electrochemical valorization. This review also examines reactive separation strategies for post-purification, focusing on the integration of recovery processes with catalysis in a direct manner. By detailing these approaches, this work outlines pathways to scalable and energy-efficient solutions for converting waste nitrogen streams into ammonia, addressing critical challenges in nitrogen valorization and offering prospects for industrial applications.