Green energy-driven ammonia production for sustainable development goals

Nitrogen is the fundamental element for all living organisms to build proteins, nucleic acids, and various biomolecules. The industrial Haber-Bosch process, a cornerstone in converting atmospheric nitrogen (N₂) to metabolic ammonia (NH₃), is marked by its significant carbon footprint. With the widespread deployment of renewable energy systems, exploring sustainable approaches for ambient, low-carbon, and decentralized NH₃ production is promising yet challenging. This perspective summarizes our recent advancements in designing catalytic systems for NH₃ synthesis, which use innocuous N₂ or detrimental nitrate (NO₃⁻) as feedstocks, harnessing solar light and electricity as the source of green energy. We demonstrate some active sites’ engineering strategies to improve the activity and selectivity of catalytic NH₃ synthesis. A flow-through-coupled device is then highlighted for efficient NH₃ separation without any pH adjustment. We also discuss the challenges and perspectives of sustainable nitrogen loops powered by green energy in aspects of fundamental research and industrial application.