Volume 20, Issue 43 2404249
Research Article

Solar-Powered Gram-Scale Ammonia Production from Nitrate

Paulraj Gnanasekar

Paulraj Gnanasekar

Photonics Laboratory, Computer, Electrical, and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900 Saudi Arabia

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Karthik Peramaiah

Karthik Peramaiah

KAUST Catalysis Center, Division of Physical Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900 Saudi Arabia

Department of Physical Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900 Saudi Arabia

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Huafan Zhang

Huafan Zhang

Photonics Laboratory, Computer, Electrical, and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900 Saudi Arabia

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Ibrahim G. Alsayoud

Ibrahim G. Alsayoud

Photonics Laboratory, Computer, Electrical, and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900 Saudi Arabia

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Anand S. Subbiah

Anand S. Subbiah

KAUST Photovoltaics Laboratory, KAUST Solar Center, Department of Physical Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900 Saudi Arabia

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Maxime Babics

Maxime Babics

KAUST Photovoltaics Laboratory, KAUST Solar Center, Department of Physical Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900 Saudi Arabia

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Tien Khee Ng

Tien Khee Ng

Photonics Laboratory, Computer, Electrical, and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900 Saudi Arabia

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Qiaoqiang Gan

Qiaoqiang Gan

Department of Physical Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900 Saudi Arabia

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Stefaan De Wolf

Corresponding Author

Stefaan De Wolf

KAUST Photovoltaics Laboratory, KAUST Solar Center, Department of Physical Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900 Saudi Arabia

E-mail:[email protected]; [email protected][email protected]

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Kuo-Wei Huang

Corresponding Author

Kuo-Wei Huang

KAUST Catalysis Center, Division of Physical Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900 Saudi Arabia

Department of Physical Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900 Saudi Arabia

E-mail:[email protected]; [email protected][email protected]

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Boon S. Ooi

Corresponding Author

Boon S. Ooi

Photonics Laboratory, Computer, Electrical, and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900 Saudi Arabia

E-mail:[email protected]; [email protected][email protected]

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First published: 02 July 2024
Citations: 3

Abstract

The photoelectrochemical (PEC) method has the potential to be an attractive route for converting and storing solar energy as chemical bonds. In this study, a maximum NH3 production yield of 1.01 g L−1 with a solar-to-ammonia conversion efficiency of 8.17% through the photovoltaic electrocatalytic (PV-EC) nitrate (NO3) reduction reaction (NO3RR) is achieved, using silicon heterojunction solar cell technology. Additionally, the effect of tuning the operation potential of the PV-EC system and its influence on product selectivity are systematically investigated. By using this unique external resistance tuning approach in the PV-EC system, ammonia production through nitrate reduction performance from 96 to 360 mg L−1 is enhanced, a four-fold increase. Furthermore, the NH3 is extracted as NH4Cl powder using acid stripping, which is essential for storing chemical energy. This work demonstrates the possibility of tuning product selectivity in PV-EC systems, with prospects toward pilot scale on value-added product synthesis.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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