Ammonia fuel offers great benefits but demands careful action
Ammonia, a main component of many fertilizers, could play a key role
in a carbon-free fuel system as a convenient way to transport and
store clean hydrogen. The chemical, made of hydrogen and nitrogen
(NH3), can also itself be burned as a zero-carbon fuel. However, new
research led by Princeton University illustrates that even though it
may not be a source of carbon pollution, ammonia's widespread use in
the energy sector could pose a grave risk to the nitrogen cycle and
climate without proper engineering precautions.
Publishing their findings November 6 in PNAS, the interdisciplinary
team of 12 researchers found that a well-engineered ammonia economy
could help the world achieve its decarbonization goals and secure a
sustainable energy future. A mismanaged ammonia economy, on the other
hand, could ramp up emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O), a long-lived
greenhouse gas around 300 times more potent than CO2 and a major
contributor to the thinning of the stratospheric ozone layer. It could
lead to substantial emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx), a class of
pollutants that contribute to the formation of smog and acid rain. And
it could directly leak fugitive ammonia emissions into the
environment, also forming air pollutants, impacting water quality, and stressing ecosystems by disturbing the global nitrogen cycle.
Fortunately, the researchers found that the potential negative impacts
of an ammonia economy can be minimized with proactive engineering
practices. They argued that now is the time to start seriously
preparing for an ammonia economy, tackling the potential sticking
points of ammonia fuel before its widespread deployment.
https://engineering.princeton.edu/news/2023/11/07/ammonia-fuel-offers-great-benefits-demands-careful-action
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