A unique way of nitrogen fixation in water by using an Arc-DBD hybrid plasma reactor.


 

We have introduced a sustainable air plasma-based system for nitrogen fixation into reactive nitrogen species in water (e.g., nitrate and nitrite), mimicking the lightning-based nitrogen fixation in nature. We report a hybrid plasma system that combines a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor (as an efficient ozone source) and an arc plasma reactor (as an efficient NOx source). This hybrid plasma system ultimately converts gaseous NOx and O3 into NOx- in water with almost zero emissions (NOx and O3). Gaseous outlets, in-liquid species, and electrical parameters were investigated. The energy cost for nitrate production via a single-pass reaction was significantly reduced to 8 MJ/mol, which enhanced the applicability of the direct one-step nitrogen fixation into NOx- in water for distributed fertilizer production to decrease the dependence on the Haber–Bosh process towards sustainable agricultural development.

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