Researchers in China have developed a new catalyst that converts nitrate pollution from industrial and agricultural wastewater into ammonia. This process is used to create urea fertilizer and operates with nearly three times the efficiency of previous methods. This waste-to-resource technology aims to reduce water pollution while strengthening the fertilizer supply chain through a lower energy process.
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Efficiency in a lab is one thing, but I want to see the cost of the catalyst materials. If this requires precious metals to work, the payback period for industrial wastewater plants will be too long for most operators to care.
Agreed. Also, the article mentions low energy but does not give the actual kilowatt hour per ton of ammonia produced. Without the energy intensity numbers, it is just a claim.
From a policy side, this only scales if there are strict penalties for nitrate runoff or subsidies for green ammonia. Otherwise, companies will just stick to the cheapest traditional methods regardless of the efficiency gain.
Interesting read on turning pollutants into precursors. It basically turns a waste stream into a feedstock, which is the goal for a circular economy.
